From Langevin To Reconciliation

From Langevin to Reconciliation: A Story of A Bridge, A Story of Calgary, A Story of Canada

In 2017, The City of Calgary decided to rename the Langevin Bridge as the The Reconciliation Bridge. Why was the bridge renamed and what is the meaning behind the new name? This blog post shares the history of the bridge, its namesake, and the debates around its renaming. The story of this bridge is more than just the story of a physical structure. It is a story of the evolution of our city and a story of Canada itself.

Story of the Land, The River, & The Bridge

The Bow River and the area surrounding it was originally the homeland of several First Nations groups. Along the river lived members of the Blackfoot confederacy, which is comprised of the Piikani (Peigan), Kainai (Blood), Siksika (Blackfoot), Tsuu T’ina (Sarcee), and Nakoda (Stoney) peoples.[1] The Blackfoot people called the area Moh-Kins-tsis, or elbow. First Nations, explorers, traders and, settlers converged on the area where the Bow and Elbow met and created initial transportation routes into existence. The place wehre these trails met became the centre of the city’s transportation hub. Modern roads and highways such as Blackfoot Trail, Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail trace these ancient paths, and commemorated these peoples through their naming[2]. Historians Christopher Armstrong, Matthew Evenden and H.V. Nelles have studied the history of the Bow River, and have concluded that it gave form and meaning to the native peoples as they “incorporated it in their seasonal rounds, crossed and re-crossed it and gained sustenance from its waters.”[3] For generations, no one group controlled the river, as access to it was shared. This would all change with the arrival of settlers in the 1800’s.

The arrival of traders and settlers with the growing fur and whiskey trades had a significant impact. Furthermore, the arrival of horses, guns and, disease changed mobility during this time. The Blackfoot peoples had considered the river a significant shared part of their homeland, whereas the new settlers saw it only as a means to facilitate trade, migration, and settlement but in an exploitative manner.

Beginning in the 1860’s, several communities comprised of settlers from a variety of backgrounds, began to emerge on the north and south sides of the river. After decades of growth, a permanent crossing of the Bow river became necessary in order to connect the Village of Riverside (then known as Germantown) to the city of Calgary. Those crossing the Bow were initially required to pay for a ferry to get in or out of city. This crossing connected Calgary to what was known as the “Working Man’s District”, which included a large population of both German and Russian immigrants.[5]

As the settler population increased and Calgary became a city, people grew impatient with ferries and boats that were used to cross the river. Bridges were seen as a safer and more reliable means of crossing the river in all seasons.[4]

In 1885, a bridge was built to connect these communities.[6] This rudimentary wooden structure, the Dewdney Bridge, was located on the same site where the present-day Reconciliation Bridge is located. In its early years, the bridge would serve as a connection between the growing city of Calgary and the village of Germantown, which was a religious hub and a red-light district. Those who traveled from the area across to Calgary became known as “The women from across Langevin Bridge,” until Calgary annexed Riverside in 1910.[7]

In 1897, the bridge came under pressure during one of Calgary’s largest disasters; a large flood caused by four days of rain. The flood caused the collapse of the Bow Marsh Bridge, which floated downstream and crashed into Langevin bridge, as water flooded over the riverbanks.[8] An article from the Calgary Weekly Herald (February 29, 1888 – Page 8) highlights the unsafe conditions of the bridge and the need for significant improvements. The city of Calgary directly petitioned Hector Louis Langevin for financial assistance from the government to repair the bridge.

Langevin promised to help. Later that year, in gratitude for the promised funding, the city offered to name the new bridge after Langevin. (Calgary Weekly Herald March 29, 1988). In 1890, the original structure was replaced with a stronger wood-truss bridge, which is considered the “first Langevin bridge.”[9]

By 1892 the bridge planks showed signs of wear from heavy traffic.[10] In 1907, the city petitioned the federal government once more for a newer, stronger bridge and in 1910, a new steel bridge was built in 1910 with the name “Langevin Bridge” remaining.[11] An article in the November 26, 1890 issue of the Calgary Weekly noted the possible discovery of Indigenous grave sites, near the original Langevin bridge. This finding highlights the lack of consideration made with the construction of the bridge, and was carried out and a disregard to traditional and sacred Indigenous land.

With the annexation of Riverside in 1910, a new steel bridge was built. When the old wooden structure would be torn down in 1911, Calgarians used the wood to heat their homes.[12] The steel bridge was important to the city, especially the neighborhood of Riverside (modern-day Bridgeland), which became the location of the Calgary General Hospital and Langevin community school. The Langevin bridge remained part of the main highway route from Calgary to Edmonton until the construction of Deerfoot trail in the 1960’s.[13] During the late twentieth-century, the bridge was less a symbol of community and pride and more as a public eyesore. As the population grew, so did the number of homeless, many of whom began to use the bridge for shelter. With the construction of the Calgary Drop-in Centre in 1961 at the west end of the bridge, the homeless issue began to subside, but there were still complaints that the bridge was dark, dreary, and unsafe. [14] The City addressed the problem in 2009, when the bridge was fit with 5,600 LED lights,[15] creating a destination for pedestrians strolling down the Riverfront. Works of art can be made with different colours and sequences of lights, allowing for special displays of celebration or tribute. Since then, multiple tributes have been made, one of which turned the bridge purple in honour of the Purple Day for Epilepsy Awareness in 2012,[16] and another in the colours of the LGBTQ community to honour of the victims of Pulse Nightclub shooting in June 2016.[17]

Above: Close-up view looking south of the old Langevin Bridge (1909). Source: Glenbow Archives, NA-4081-10. Used With Permission.

Above: Panoramic view of the City of Calgary from Crescent Heights, with the new Langevin Bridge in the left of the photo. Source: Glenbow Archives, NA-5150-1. Used With Permission.

Above: Color Postcard Image of the Langevin Bridge from 1911. Published by Valentine & Sons, Montreal and Toronto. Source: Glenbow Archives, LIB-20-15. Used With Permission.

Who was Langevin?

Above: Hector-Louis Langevin, circa 1883. Source: Library and Archives Canada

Sir Hector-Louis Langevin (25 August 1826 -11 June 1906) was an influential French-Canadian politician. Langevin worked as both a journalist and lawyer, but he is most remembered for his forty-year political career.[18] He became an important local political leader in Quebec before becoming an instrumental figure at the Conferences of Confederation, making him one of the “Fathers of Confederation.” Following Confederation, Langevin became Secretary of State and Superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1867 to 1869, before serving as the Minister of Public Works in 1876.[19] As Minister of Public Works, he oversaw the funding of many infrastructure projects across Canada.

Langevin is also known as one of the architects Canada’s Residential School system. The reality is more complex. Langevin was the Superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1867 to 1869, but it was not until 1884 that an amendment was made to the Indian Act that created residential schools. Nevertheless, Langevin supported the practice of separating children from their families for the purpose of assimilation. In 1883, while speaking in Parliament, Langevin stated:

“The fact is, if you wish to educate these children you must separate them from their parents during the time that they are being educated. If you leave them in the family they may know how to read and write, but they still remain savages, whereas by separating them in the way proposed, they acquire the habits and tastes - it is to be hoped only the good tastes - of civilized people.”[20]

The Oppression of Aboriginal People and the Need for Reconciliation

In response to the more than century-long existence of the residential schools and their negative consequences for Indigenous people, the Canadian government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology in 2008. [See Appendix A for full statement.] The following year, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established to listen to survivors, communities, and others affected by the residential school system as well as to begin righting the wrongs of the residential school system. One of the most important results from the TRC was the establishment of 94 calls to action in order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation requesting Federal, Provincial, and Municipal action to address areas including child welfare, education, healthcare, sports, business, media, and commemoration.[23]

Above: Prime Minister Stephen Harper presents Assembly of First Nations national chief Phil Fontaine with a statement of apology for residential schools on June 11, 2008. Source: Reuters Canada, Patrick Doyle.

The Renaming Process

In response to this call, the Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee received direction from Calgary City Council to discuss truth and reconciliation in July 2015. Specifically, they were tasked to highlight which of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s identified calls to action were actionable by the city. The Committee produced a report titled White Goose Flying, A Report to Calgary City Council on the Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation. In this report, one of the calls to action recommended renaming the Langevin Bridge. The renaming of the bridge was seen as a way of highlighting the importance of reconciliation and as a powerful symbol of mutual respect for the future.[24] [See Appendix B for the White Goose Flying Report.]

In 2017, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi spoke of the importance of gestures and symbols. He highlighted how a people’s knowledge of past oppressions was important and necessary. Through monuments and commemoration, societies can start to heal the wounds of oppression. The mayor acknowledged that Langevin made many commendable contributions to both this city and the country as whole. However, Nenshi cited the Truth and Reconciliation Report which specifically mentioned Langevin as one of the early supporters of residential schools. The process of renaming the bridge, according to Nenshi, was neither an act of vilifying Langevin nor an erasure of the past. Rather, Nenshi argued that it was the means by which we were to accept that history is complicated. Through this complication we have an opportunity to have a conversation about it. Nenshi said that the name “Reconciliation” was specifically chosen because it was a name that invites us (or force us) to have that necessary discussion.

Council Motion

On 23 January 2017, the matter of renaming was brought before council. [See Appendix C for Notice of Motion.] Part of the motion read:

“AND WHEREAS as Canadians we must acknowledge and understand our past, both the good and bad, and that Hector Langevin, a Father of Confederation and Cabinet Minister, after whom the Langevin Bridge was named after (and whose Ministry funded the first bridge's construction), played a foundational role in the establishment of the Indian residential school system; . . .

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council hereby renames the Langevin Bridge as the "Reconciliation Bridge" as a sincere act of reconciliation on behalf of the citizens of Calgary;”[25]

By a vote of 14-1, the motion passed.

Voices Against

While there was majority support in council to rename the bridge, there were many citizens who were against it. Although Mayor Nenshi did not intend for the act to vilify Langevin or erase history, many citizens considered the renaming as doing just that. In an editorial in the Toronto Star, Dr. Sean Carleton, Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University, argued that the singling out of Langevin as an “architect” of the residential schools was inaccurate. In response to Langevin's views on "civilizing" Indigenous people, Carleton wrote:

“There is no way to sidestep such a comment or the role that Langevin, as a high-ranking government official, played in supporting the nascent residential school system. Yet, as others have asked, aside from one quote, what evidence is there that Langevin should be identified as the architect? As a historian of residential schooling in Canada, I see little evidence to support such a claim. Rather, the person ultimately responsible for planning and bringing about the system — its architect — is Macdonald.”[26]

In an article in the Calgary Metro News, Jessie Loyer, Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University, chided the city for renaming of the bridge with a “fad name.” Loyer took issue with renaming the bridge with an English word, when there are many Indigenous names and terms that could have been used. Loyer stated, “There are Indigenous names for these places, and by renaming the bridge reconciliation in English, it silences those names that we have. . .Those spaces are being covered up. . .when the point is to be thinking about the ways Indigenous history has been silenced.”[27] Loyer concluded by saying real reconciliation was not found through renaming bridges and donating money. Instead, it is primarily focused on the relationships non-Aboriginal people have with Aboriginal people and their land. Finding a way to reconcile these aspects is necessary, and more challenging.

Conclusion

The Langevin Bridge - All Lit Up For Beakerhead, Denise Kitagawa. Source: Link. Used With Permission Under Creative Commons Agreement - Link .

The ways in which we understand our past, more specifically our oppressive past, generate contentious debates. Regardless of which people take on renaming, the memory of Langevin, the plight of Indigenous people, and the physical structure of the bridge have come together to force us all to take a more critical view of our past and the manner in which we commemorate and remember. Mayor Nenshi stated that history is complicated and required continuous conversations and that the name “Reconciliation” was specifically chosen because it was a name that would hopefully invite us to have that necessary discussion.

In 2018, after the murder of a young Indigenous man in Saskatchewan named Colten Boushie and the after the death of a young Indigenous girl named Tina Fontaine in Manitoba, Calgarians took to City Hall to protest the systematic racism in Canada and its manifestations in the justice system. The protesters proceeded to The Reconciliation Bridge to continue their protest. Within a remarkably short time, the renaming of this bridge already provided Indigenous people a space to raise awareness of important and neglected issues. It is fair to say that this renaming has in fact initiated discussion, and the conversation is not over.

References

[1] 4 Christopher Armstrong, Matthew Evenden & H.V. Nelles. The River Returns: An Environmental History of The Bow (Montreal: McGill University Press, 2009), 24.

[2] Jack Peach, “Calgary Roads Reflect History,” Calgary Herald, July 5, 1989, Para 9.

[3] Armstrong, Evenden & Nelles, The River Returns, 24.

[4] Armstrong, Evenden & Nelles, The River Returns, 75.

[5] Douglas Stinson, “Riverside Community Celebrates Colorful Past,” Bridgeland Riverside Community Association, 1.

[6] Armstrong, Evenden & Nelles, The River Returns, 76.

[7] Stinson, “Riverside Community Celebrates Colorful Past,” 1.

[8] Grant MacEwan, “Vigilance Needed for any Disaster,” Calgary Herald, March 12, 1989, para 7-9.

[9] R. A. Welin and Alta Engineering Department Calgary, The Bridges of Calgary, 1882-1977 (Calgary: City of Calgary Engineering Dept., 1977), 22.

[10] Welin & Alta Engineering Department Calgary, The Bridges of Calgary, 22.

[11] Armstrong, Evenden & Nelles, The River Returns, 76.

[12] Pat Hooper, “Tales of Our Past: Historic East Village,” BRCA Calgary, 3.

[13] Hooper, "Tales of Our Past" 4.

[14] Patrick Tivy, “Drop-in Centre Offers Safe Haven,” Calgary Herald, March 20, 1989, Para 3.

[15] “Langevin Bridge Light Show Has City Aglow,” Calgary Herald, December 24, 2009.

[16] “Langevin Bridge To Go Purple for Epilepsy Awareness,” Calgary Herald, March 26, 2012.

[17] Kevin Allen, “#weareorlando YYC Memorial,” Calgary Gay History Project, June 16, 2016.

[18] Réal Bélanger, “Langevin, Hector-Louis,” The Oxford Companion to Canadian History (Oxford University Press, 2004) Paragraph 1.

[19] “Sir Hector-Louis Langevin,” Library and Archives Canada, Paragraph 1 – 3.

[20] Andrée Désilets and Julia Skikavich, “Sir Hector-Louis Langevin,” The Canadian Encyclopedia (January 21, 2008) Paragraph 12.

[21] Truth and Reconciliation Canada, Canada’s Residential Schools: The History, Part 1 Origins to 1939 (Montreal: McGill University Press, 2015), viii.

[22] Michelle M. Robinson, “Dying to learn: Infectious Disease and Death Among the Children in Southern Alberta's Indian Residential Schools, 1889–1920. 2008.” (PhD Dissertation, Laurentian University 2008), iii.

[23] Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Calls to Action. Winnipeg: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015.

[24] Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee, White Goose Flying: A Report to Calgary City Council on the Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation - Calls to Action (Calgary, 2016).

[25] Calgary, City Council, Renaming the Langevin Bridge as the Reconciliation Bridge (January 23, 2017). https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55dc0497e4b04c7e17bb75e5/t/59bc371d37c58141c2c3011d/1505507103002/NM2017-02.PDF.

[26] Sean Carleton, “John A. Macdonald was the Real Architect of Residential Schools.” Toronto Star, July 9th, 2017.

[27] Jessie Loyer, “From Firewood to Steel, Calgary's Langevin Bridge as We Know it Today is a Placeholder.” Calgary Metro News, January 19th, 2017.

Created by: MC, Kipp Cifra and David Sanders

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From Langevin To Reconciliation