Queen Elizabeth II Saturday dedicated the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg after dodging bad weather on her way into the south-central Canadian city, dpa reported.
Elizabeth unveiled a cornerstone of the yet-to-be finished museum that was heavy with human rights symbolism. It contained a stone from the field of Runnymede, England, where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215.
In that document, King John of England granted some rights to freemen and accepted that he could be bound by law. The document also laid the basis for the writ of habeas corpus, a keystone of constitutional law that protects against unlawful imprisonment.
"This building will, in due course, rise up to take its place on the Winnipeg skyline," Elizabeth was quoted in Canadian media as telling the crowds gathered for the event.
She said the museum was "also a symbol of the importance which Canada attaches to human rights and its own role in promoting them at home and throughout the world."
The queen, 84, and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in Canada last week. After spending Sunday and Monday in Toronto, Elizabeth is to travel to New York City, where she is to address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday and meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. dpa pr Author: Pat Reber