Eagle Feather
The eagle and its feathers are sacred in many Indigenous cultures. On March 11, 1997, Mi’kmaq visitor Melissa Labrador brought an eagle feather to the public gallery of the House of Commons but was denied entry by security staff as they considered the item a “prop” which is prohibited.
The following day in the House, Speaker Gilbert Parent formally apologized to Labrador. Elijah Harper, MP for Churchill, Manitoba, rose to thank the Speaker and present an eagle feather to him as “the highest authority of the land in Parliament.” Parent replied, “I would consider it a great honour and I will accept it.”
The feather was later framed and displayed in the Speaker’s Office.