Manitoba hockey team keeps ‘Redskins’ name
City councillor argues moniker is offensive to aboriginal people
MORDEN, MAN.— A city councillor from Morden in southern Manitoba has failed to have the local senior A men’s hockey team name changed.
Heather Francis says the Redskins name is offensive to aboriginal and non-aboriginal people alike.
She brought forward a motion at a council meeting earlier this month to send the team a letter requesting the name be changed.
Francis argued the moniker reflects on the entire Morden community because the team also uses the city’s name.
The motion was defeated 5-2 when only Mayor Ken Wiebe sided with her.
Francis says some councillors agreed the name should be changed, but they didn’t think it was council’s role to pass a motion about it.
“I’d been doing a lot of thinking about the name, and a citizen wrote council a letter last year expressing his concern about the name,” said Francis.
“It struck me that as leaders of the community, we should take a stand.”
In the past, officials have argued the name is historical and one that former players take pride in. Changing the name would be like erasing that history, they said.
General manager Brent Meleck, an aboriginal man himself, said the Redskins team is not changing its name.
“The name’s been around for a long time. We’re not doing anything wrong. We’re just a hockey club providing a good place for people to play,” he said.
“It’s an honour to put on that jersey. We’re out there every night, playing some good hockey, we’re the best league in southern Manitoba and we take pride in the name.”
The Morden Redskins have held that name since 1983 and are the top senior A men’s team in the province as winners of the 2015 Manitoba Cup.