CA-K659Indigenous peoples & reconciliation

Bishop Modeste Demers in the Pacific Northwest

Modeste Demers, around 1860 (J. E. Livernois). Modeste Demers · J.E. Livernois · Photo source · Photo licence: Public domain. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

No recorded challenge is not proof of accuracy. A challenge under review is not a finding that the item is false.

Modeste Demers, a Catholic priest in the Pacific Northwest from 1838, worked in part to convert Indigenous Peoples, part of the region’s colonization, and in 1847 became the first Bishop of Vancouver Island, New Caledonia and Haida Gwaii. The practices of Demers and his Church, together with colonization and assimilation, had drastic consequences for later generations of Indigenous Peoples.

Scope & context

Demers as described in his 2024 reviewed designation.

Sources behind this record

Bishop Modeste Demers National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada

Reasons for designation (reviewed)