A book of condolences is available for people to pay their respects to the late Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
Merrick, 63, died suddenly on Friday. She was speaking to reporters outside Winnipeg’s law courts that afternoon when she collapsed and was rushed to hospital.
The book, on a table next to photographs of Merrick, sits at the foot of the grand staircase in the Manitoba Legislative Building.
A number of dignitaries signed it Tuesday morning, before the public was invited to do so starting at noon. The doors will be open to the public throughout the week from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Merrick’s body will arrive at the legislative building at 10 a.m. Wednesday, where it will lie in state for public viewing in the ceremonial room on the second floor from noon to 5 p.m. that day. Photography will be prohibited.
Merrick’s body will then be taken from the legislative building for a wake service from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the RBC Convention Centre. It will then be returned to her home community of Pimicikamak Cree Nation (also known as Cross Lake) for a wake service at the arena on Thursday and Friday.
A last viewing will take place on Saturday, ahead of the funeral service interment at the Cross Lake Cemetery.
Merrick will be the first woman to lie in state in the legislative building and the first person to be given the honour since 2013.
Five others have preceded her, a provincial spokesperson told CBC:
There is no established provincial guideline to decide who receives a provincial lying-in-state — it is at the discretion of the premier of the day, the provincial spokesperson said in an email to CBC News.