MMF pays tribute to Manitoba’s 150th, Louis Riel’s birthday

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This article was published 26/10/2020 (1662 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Banners bearing the image of Louis Riel flying high along Confederation Boulevard in our nation’s capital this summer would have been quite the sight to behold.

Unfortunately, travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19 likely prevented many from going to Ottawa to see them. However, the banners have also been adorning streets in several towns and cities across Manitoba in recognition of the 150th anniversary of Manitoba becoming the fifth province to join Confederation and the only to do so under the governance of an Indigenous Nation – the Métis.

The banners in Ottawa are part of Banners of the Provinces on Parliament Hill, an annual Department of Canadian Heritage initiative that sees more than 500 banners flown representing themes that showcase different parts of the country. The banners will fly as long as weather permits, honouring the visionary leader of the Métis Nation.

Born in 1844, Riel is known as a founder of the province of Manitoba and a father of Confederation.

During the Red River Resistance of 1869-1870, which was ignited by the Hudson’s Bay Company’s sale of Rupert’s Land to the Dominion of Canada without consulting with the Métis, Riel formed the first Manitoba government. This provisional government ultimately negotiated the terms under which the province of Manitoba entered Canadian Confederation.

On December 8, 1869, the provisional government released a proclamation called the “Declaration of the People of Rupert’s Land and the North-West.” This historic decleration stated that the Métis already established a Provisional Government and that it was the only recognized authority in the North-West, but remained ready to negotiate with the Canadian Government so long as it proved prosperous to its people.

In January 1870, under Riel’s leadership, a Convention of 40 representatives of the Red River settlement created a List of Rights, which was built upon an inclusive vision for Manitoba – one that valued bilingualism, multiculturalism, as well as Indigenous and minority rights. The List was a foundational document in establishing Manitoba as a province in Canadian Confederation through the Manitoba Act, which received royal assent on May 12, 1870.

For Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) President David Chartrand, the national recognition of Riel’s role in the establishment of this province – in such a visible and accessible way – is significant.

“The role that the Métis played in the creation of the Province of Manitoba was denied by Canada for a long time, and that the provisional government had no meaning and no legitimacy has been proven factually wrong,” President Chartrand said.

“The Métis paid the ultimate price for that and still to this day we suffer for our resistance, but for us now at this point in time let’s not talk about our historical injustices or historical wrongs, let’s talk about a province that we helped to create and what that has meant in Canada.”

The MMF partnered with Canadian Heritage to replicate the banners and bring them to Manitoba. They have been flying in Winnipeg in the vibrant Métis communities of St. Boniface, St. Norbert, and Transcona. They’re also flying outside of the city in Selkirk, The Pas, Mafeking, Cranberry Portage, Flin Flon, Stonewall, St. Malo, Grand Marais, Lorette, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Turtle Mountain, Minnedosa, Thompson, Dauphin, and Swan River.

For President Chartrand, the 150th anniversary is a teaching opportunity – a chance to shine a light on the importance of Riel and the Métis Nation’s role in establishing Manitoba and opening up the west, all of which makes the banners along Confederation Boulevard more important.

“It’s essential to build the mindset that Riel was the first premier of Manitoba and that Riel and the Métis people did what any good citizen should have done, protect homes, families, communities and, at the end of the day, create a province,” President Chartrand explained.

“If you look at history, Manitoba’s entrance into Confederation also brought in Western Canada. History buffs can tell you ‘oh, Western Canada would have came’, but we don’t know that. We could have stayed a territory. Northwest Territories still exists today, and territorial jurisdiction is much weaker than provincial jurisdiction by far. It’s growing slowly but it’s at a turtle pace style.”

The arrival of the Riel banners in Manitoba is another fitting tribute to the Father of Manitoba, President Chartrand concluded.

“If it wasn’t for becoming a province, and the Métis in Manitoba, we don’t know what Western Canada would have looked like.”

The MMF continued celebrations this fall on what would have been Riel’s 176th birthday, October 22, launching a series of six video vignettes paying tribute to Riel. Airing on CTV News throughout the day, the vignettes include greetings from MMF Ministers Will Goodon and Andrew Carrier, and performances from local Métis musicians including Ray St. Germain and Garry Lepine.

An iconic figure in Canadian history, Riel protected Métis self-determination and language, as well as French, Indigenous, and religious rights. Resisting injustice at every turn, he and his government took the stand to protect Métis rights, lands, and families. Without Riel crusading for these rights, the landscape of Manitoba and Canada would look very different today. Riel blazed the trail for self-governance and recognition, and the Métis government will continue to honour his legacy.