Kamloops councillor and deputy Mayor Stephen Karpuk (left) and Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Tkwenem7íple7 / acting Kúkpi7 Thomas Blank (right) unveiling The Memorial to Sir Wilfrid Laurier plaque on May 22, 2025. (Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

plaque unveiling

New downtown plaque an homage to 1910 document given to Sir Wilfrid Laurier by local First Nations

May 22, 2025 | 4:25 PM

KAMLOOPS — The 100-block of Victoria Street was briefly closed to vehicle traffic Thursday (May 22) for the unveiling of ‘The Memorial to Sir Wilfrid Laurier’ plaque.

The plaque, which is attached to a large rock displayed along Victoria Street, is meant to commemorate a historical document known as ‘The Memorial’, which was presented to Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier when he made a campaign stop in Kamloops in 1910.

The document was put together by a delegation of chiefs from the Secwépemc, Nlaka’pamux and Syilx Nations, with English translation aid provided by James Teit and French priest Father LeJeune. It asserted their desire to see Indigenous title and rights upheld and also explained the detrimental legal and societal changes that had taken place at that time.

Speaking to CFJC after the plaque presentation, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Tkwenem7íple7 (Councillor) and acting Kúkpi7 Thomas Blank says the framework set back in 1910 is still kept in mind during their work with other governments.

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“Today’s unveiling of the plaque is a significant step in the recognition of the ongoing work. And I say ‘ongoing’ because this work has been going on for decades with former leadership, former mayors, former councils from both sides of the river to bridge that gap and educate our people.”

From the city’s perspective, the plaque is a symbol of the ongoing relationship building between municipal and Tk’emlúps leaders, and it’s also an educational opportunity to share more about the history from both sides of the Thompson River.

“This is their (Secwépemc) unceded, ancestral territory and, you know, as it’s been stated by others, before I was a member of this council, many discussions have taken place to enact some of those things that were talked about way back in 1910 but were never really done,” notes Kamloops councillor and deputy mayor Stephen Karpuk. “Symbolism, I guess, is how we want to look at it, and looking at where we’re at with the provincial adoption of [The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act] and all of the things that we’ve learned in the last few years.”

For an educational component, the plaque is paired with a QR code that connects residents to more information about the 1910 meeting with Sir Wilfrid Laurier.

For more information about the memorial, you can visit this website or pick up a guide from the Kamloops Museum and Archives.