The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1946, Qupperneq 33

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
31
TJlie 3celandic Contribution 3n ZJhe building
Of) c4 jNation
By HONOURABLE J. S. McDIARMID,
Minister of Mines & Natural Resources
Last month Manitoba was favored
with a visit from a group of Iceland-
ic singers who completely charmed a
Winnipeg audience with their musi-
cal abilities A short time before
Manitoba was accorded unusually
fine publicity when a national
magazine carried a story and pic-
tures of a group of Icelandic Can-
adians celebrating a midsummer
festival at Gimli. Just a few years
ago the whole world joined in ex-
pressions of admiration as the Ice-
landic Parliament celebrated the
1,000th anniversary of its founding.
These three instances are but a few
of many that might be cited to illu-
strate the important contribution be-
ing made by persons of Icelandic de-
scent to the development of Canad-
ian culture and world understanding.
Wherever these people choose to live,
whatever organizations they spon-
sor or belong to, whatever they
choose as a lifetime vocation, their
presence and the part they can play
in achieving success is always valu-
ed.
It is difficult to think of a voca-
tion, industry or business in the
Province of Manitoba in which Can-
adians of Icelandic descent are not
playing a vital role. Many of them
are fishermen on Manitoba’s great in-
land lakes, and often they are to be
found manning boats which they
have built themselves. And what
could be more reasonable? It is a
matter of historical record that the
Vikings were the first to venture on
the larger seas, in boats of their own
making in which they had unques-
tioned confidence.
That was many centuries ago, but
the spirit of adventure, the enthus-
iasm for tackling new jobs, of going-
on to wider horizons of trade and
learning, has not grown less with
the passing of time. The Vikings of
old might well be proud of their de-
scendants here in Canada, proud that
they have chosen such a land of
youthful vigour, with its promise of
future greatness, in which to demon-
strate their diversified talents.
Manitoba is proud of the Icelandic
contributoin to its strength, culutre
and virility. People of Icelandic
origin have distinguished themselves
in many fields of endeavor, and al-
ways to the credit of the Province
which they or their forbears have
chosen as their New World home.
The Icelandic people have become
an integral part of this Province,
adding their unique contribution to
the development of this particular
area and to the Dominion of Canada
as a whole.