MLA urges June 17 be proclaimed Jon Sigurdsson Day

Bill introduced today by MLA Tom Nevakshonoff

15 April 2010

A bill calling for the recognition of June the 17th as Jon Sigurdsson Day was introduced today in the Legislative Assembly by Interlake MLA Tom Nevakshonoff. Jon Sigurdsson, a nineteenth-century Icelandic scholar and statesman, was a leader of the struggle for Icelandic self-government.

"The Icelandic people are a vibrant community within the Manitoba mosaic who have played a vital role in the development of our province,” said Nevakshonoff. “It is only fitting that an elder statesman such as Jon Sigurdsson should be honoured on their behalf."

The bill was seconded by Peter Bjornsson, the MLA for Gimli, a descendant of Icelanders who immigrated to Manitoba to found New Iceland on the shores of Lake Winnipeg.

Sigurdsson was a strong force behind the Danish government’s decision in 1874 to give Iceland autonomy over internal affairs. When Iceland won full independence in 1944, Sigurdsson’s birthday, June the 17th, was chosen as the country’s national holiday.

In 1921 the province’s Icelandic community erected a statue paying tribute to Sigurdsson, on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building. An identical statue stands in a prominent square in Reykjavik.