Louis Riel

Louis "David" Riel (October 22, 1844 – November 16, 1885), was a Canadian politician and leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government that sought to preserve Métis rights and culture as their homelands in the Northwest Territories came progressively under the Canadian sphere of influence.

Legacy

Political legacy

The Saskatchewan Métis' requested land grants were all provided by the government by the end of 1887, and the government resurveyed the Métis river lots in accordance with their wishes. The Métis did not understand the long term value of their new land, however, and it was soon bought by speculators who later turned huge profits from it. In many respects, Riel's worst fears were realised — following the failed rebellion, the French language and Roman Catholic religion faced increasing marginalisation in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as exemplified by the controversy surrounding the Manitoba Schools Question. The Métis themselves were increasingly forced to live on undesirable land or in the shadow of Indian reserves (as they did not themselves have treaty status). Saskatchewan did not attain provincehood until 1905.

Related Topics:
1887 - Manitoba Schools Question - Indian reserve - 1905

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Riel's execution and Macdonald's refusal to commute his sentence caused lasting upset in Quebec, and led to a fundamental alteration in the Canadian political order. In Quebec, Honoré Mercier exploited discontent over Riel's execution to reconstitute the Parti National. This party, which promoted Quebec nationalism, won a majority in the 1886 Quebec election by winning a number of seats formerly controlled by the Quebec Conservative Party. The federal election of 1887 likewise saw significant gains by the federal Liberals, again at the expense of the Conservatives. This led to the victory of the Liberal party under Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the federal election of 1896, which in turn set the stage for the domination of Canadian federal politics by the Liberal party in the 20th century. That Riel's name still has resonance in Canadian politics was evidenced on November 16, 1994, when Suzanne Tremblay, a Bloc Québécois member of parliament, introduced private members' bill C-228, "An Act to revoke the conviction of Louis David Riel". The unsuccessful bill was widely perceived in English Canada as an attempt to arouse support for Quebec nationalism prior to the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty.

Related Topics:
Honoré Mercier - Parti National - Quebec nationalism - 1886 Quebec election - Quebec Conservative Party - Federal election of 1887 - Wilfrid Laurier - Federal election of 1896 - 20th century - November 16 - 1994 - Suzanne Tremblay - Bloc Québécois - 1995 - Referendum - Quebec sovereignty

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Riel reconsidered

The formerly widespread perception of Louis Riel as an insane traitor, especially outside of the Métis and French Canadian community, has weakened considerably in the 21st century. Many now view Riel as a hero who stood up for his people in the face of a racist government, and some who question his sanity still view him as an essentially honourable figure. Riel nevertheless presents an enigma, although as historian J.M.S. Careless has observed, it is possible that Riel was both a murderer and a hero. It is also possible that his rash decision to execute Scott drastically altered the history of his people. For example, shortly after the Red River Rebellion the Canadian government began a programme that speculators and other non-Métis exploited to dispossess the Métis of their land; had Scott not been executed, the government might well have supervised the program more rigorously, given the prior good relations between Canada and the Métis. Métis scholars have noted that Riel is a more important figure to non-Métis than to Métis, perhaps because he is often the only Métis figure most non-Métis are aware of. While it is by no means universally accepted, historians such as Thomas Flanagan have pointed out certain parallels between Riel's following during the North-West Rebellion and millenarian cults. Others have embraced his image as a revolutionary — in the 1960s, the Quebec terrorist group, the Front de libération du Québec, went so far as to adopt the name "Louis Riel" for one of its terrorist cells.

Related Topics:
French Canadian - 21st century - Racist - J.M.S. Careless - Thomas Flanagan - Millenarian - Cult - 1960s - Front de libération du Québec - Terrorist cell

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Monuments and place names

A statue of Riel now stands on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and two statues of Riel are located in Winnipeg. One of the Winnipeg statues, the work of architect Marcien Gaboury and sculptor Marcien Lemay, depicts Riel as a naked and tortured figure. It was unveiled in 1970 and stood on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for 23 years. After much outcry (especially from the Métis community) that the statue was an undignified mis-representation, the statue was removed and placed at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface. It was replaced in 1994 with a statue designed by Miguel Joyal depicting Riel as a dignified statesman.

Related Topics:
Parliament Hill - Marcien Gaboury - Marcien Lemay - 1970 - Legislative Assembly of Manitoba - Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface - 1994 - Miguel Joyal

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In numerous communities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Riel is commemmorated in the names of streets, schools, and other buildings. The student centre and campus pub at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon are named after Riel. Saskatchewan provincial highway 11, stretching from Regina to just south of Prince Albert, has been named Louis Riel Trail by the province; the roadway passes near many of the locations of the 1885 rebellion.

Related Topics:
University of Saskatchewan - Saskatchewan provincial highway 11 - 1885

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Arts, literature, and popular culture

Portrayals of Riel's role in the Red River Rebellion include the 1979 CBC television film Riel and Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown's acclaimed 2003 graphic novel '.

Related Topics:
1979 - CBC - Television film - Cartoonist - Chester Brown - 2003 - Graphic novel

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An opera about Riel entitled Louis Riel was commissioned for Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967. It was an opera in three acts, written by Harry Somers, with an English and French libretto by Mavor Moore and Jacques Languirand. The Canadian Opera Company produced and performed the first run of the opera in September and October, 1967.

Related Topics:
Opera - Canada's centennial - Harry Somers - Libretto - Mavor Moore - Jacques Languirand - Canadian Opera Company - 1967

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From the late 1960s until the early 1990s, the city of Saskatoon hosted "Louis Riel Day", a summer celebration that included a relay race that combined running, backpack carrying, canoeing, hill climbing, and horseback riding, as well as a cabbage roll eating contest.

Related Topics:
1960s - 1990s - Saskatoon - Canoeing - Horseback riding - Cabbage roll

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Billy Childish wrote a song entitled Louis Riel, which has been performed by Thee Headcoats, Thee Headcoatees and Blackhands.

Related Topics:
Billy Childish - Thee Headcoats - Thee Headcoatees - Blackhands

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On October 22, 2003, CBC Newsworld and its French-language equivalent, Réseau de l'information, staged a simulated retrial of Riel. Viewers were invited to vote "guilty" or "not guilty" over the internet, and over 10,000 votes were received — 87 per cent of these were "not guilty". The results of this straw poll led to renewed calls for Riel's posthumous pardon. Similarly, the CBC's Greatest Canadian project ranked Riel as the 11th "Greatest Canadian" on the basis of a public poll.

Related Topics:
October 22 - 2003 - CBC Newsworld - Réseau de l'information - CBC - Greatest Canadian

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