OUTREMONT, Quebec, October 11, 2007--The Honourable Pierre Claude Nolin, Senator, on behalf of Canada's Environment Minister John Baird, and The Mount Royal Cemetery today celebrated the accomplishments of David Thompson, North America's greatest geographer during a ceremony held at the Thompson burial in Mount Royal Cemetery.
"Our Government is pleased to have the opportunity to highlight the important contributions David Thompson has made to the exploration of the North American continent", said Senator Pierre Claude Nolin. "As a fur trader, astronomer, explorer and cartographer, his achievements helped shape Canada as we know it today."
The year 2007 marks the 150th anniversary of Thompson's death and the 200th anniversary of his first crossing of the Rocky Mountains. An international organization, The North American David Thompson Bicentennial Committee, was formed from private and public sector participants to commemorate Thompson's many accomplishments and the impact that trade and exploration had on North America.
David Thompson was arguably North America's greatest land geographer having travelled some 90,000 kilometres, mapping much of it in detail using the astronomical observations carefully recorded in his journals. With his wife Charlotte Small, a woman of mixed Cree and Scottish background, and their young family, Thompson expanded the fur trade across the Rockies to the West Coast while employed by the Hudson's Bay Company and later the North West Company.
"It is a pleasure for me to participate in today's ceremony. I feel it is important to commemorate David Thompson so Canadians of today and tomorrow get a sense of his immense contribution to Canada," said Senator Nolin. "Thompson's legacy has left an indelible imprint physically and intellectually on the Canadian landscape."
Following Parks Canada's work with the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), David Thompson was designated as a person of national historic significance in 1927. The distinction of national designation ensures public awareness about the legacy of David Thompson's work and his contributions to the richness of our cultural heritage.
Information:
Odette Lachance
Communication Advisor
Communication Services
Parks Canada - Quebec
418-648-4167
