louis David
RIEL

THE BATTLE OF BATOCHE (Drawing by C. W. Jeffreys)

N the barks of the Red River, on
the shores of the Saskatchewan,
in the cities of Montreal and Ot-

tawa, in the court-room in Regina,
wheresoever life took him, Louis David
Riel defended the cause of his people,
the Metis, and the cause of demo-
cracy.

In so doing, and because of his con-
viction that to be a Metis was con-
sistent and synonymous with being a
Canadian, Riel also ensured that the
great stretch of prairie land from Ont-
ario to the Rockies remained Canadian.

But, you will say, that’s not what’s
in the history books. They say Riel was
a rebel and hanged for rising against
the crown. He was insane, a religious
fanatic, he caused dissention and un-
rest, he was no Canadian hero.

In his death, as in his life, Riel is a
figure of controversy. Those who
hanged him needed justification. The
myths of the history books come from
the distortion of history to protect
those who destroyed Riel.

Let’s go back to the banks of the
Red River in the spring of 1869. This
was when the Hudson’s Bay Company
came to an agreement with the Can-
adian government. They would give up
their land, all but five percent, and the
new owner would be the Canadian gov-
ernment. There were absolutely no pro-
visions made for those living on the
land, the Indians and the Metis, and
what their future rights in the land
would be.

The legislation for the future gov-
ernment of Rupert’s Land (Manitoba)
and the North-West Territory was en-
acted. It said there should be a lieuten-
ant-governor, -who should have abso-
lute power over the country, “power to
make provision for the administration
of justice, and generally to make, or-
dain and establish all such laws insti-
tutions and ordinances as may be ne-
cessary for peace, order and good gov-
ernment.”

But what about the people who lived
there? Were there no rights of citizen-
ship? Was there not even to be an ad-
visory council?

For a government only a little over
two years itselfin existence, there was
little excuse for this “colonial office”
type of despotism to be imposed in the
West. But not only did the government
in Ottawa adopt such legislation, it also
said it would send armed men with the
lieutenant-governor to enforce it as
well.

In advance of the governor, however,
came the surveyors. They ignored the
existing form of land ownership by the
Metis and it was in challenging them
that the Metis, under the leadership of
Riel came to challenge, even before his
arrival, the despotism of a lieutenant-
governor, and to prevent him from
coming.

Riel argued that the sale of his land
by the Hudson’s Bay Company to the
government of Canada meant also the
end of its rule in the West and that the
people of the area were now without

june 30, 1967—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 4

any form of government and had the
right to establish their own. Riel sum-
moned a convention of representatives
of the people, inviting both English as
well as French-speaking to the meeting.

When the convention met, represen-
tatives of every parish in the settle-
ment were present. And while they
were in session the lieutenant-governor,
William McDougall, from the United
States where he was waiting for an
opportunity to take the colony by force
of arms if necessary, issued a procla-

by
PHYLLIS CLARKE

Tribune staff member

mation in the name of the Queen that
the transfer from the Company had
been effected. While it was a dishonest
document, since no such transfer had
been effected then, no one in the Red
River settlement could so prove.

Riel, after reading this document,
said: “Now more than ever before it is
necessary that we should be cool. We
have always declared that we are Brit-
ish subjects and loyal to Queen and
country. But I cannot believe that this
proclamation is genuine. I cannot bring
myself to think that the English au-
thorities would so ignore the rights: of
the people without even consulting
them. That is what has been done if
this proclamation is genuine. I doubt
it.*

Riel proposed instead of despotism,
a Bill of Rights. He later added to it
the demand for full provincial status
for the area. In 1870, when a confer-

LOUIS DAVID RIEL

ence between delegates from the Red

River and the Canadian government
took place in Ottawa, the Bill of Rights
framed by Riel grew into the Manito-
ba Act which was finally adopted by
the Canadian parliament. By this act
the Red River settlement and a portion
of the Hudson’s Bay district of Rupert’s
Land entered Confederation as a prov-
ince, similar to other provinces except
that it was denied control of the land
and other natural resources, which con-
tinued to be vested in the federal gov-
ernment. In lieu of this the province
was to receive an annual cash subsidy
and 1,400,000 acres of land were as-
signed to be divided among the chil-
dren of Metis heads of families re-
siding at the time within the boun-
daries of the new province. The people
were safeguarded in their properties,
customs, languages and religion. The
name Manitoba was selected for this
new province.

That it was a province of Canada
was also due to Riel in another way.
Riel personally had been approached
from high sources in the United States
to direct his efforts to the annexation
of the Red River area to the US.
He was offered $50,000 in cash and
$100,000 in promises. But Riel said:
“Keep your money. Keep your aid. I
want none of them. I will never work
for annexation and I trust the day will
never come when Canada will be an-
nexed to the United States.”

Riel had won responsible govern-
ment for the people of the Red River
but there were dangers present. There
was no provision of amnesty for the
leaders of the provincial government
and in Ontario a growing clamor
against Riel was being whipped up by
English Canadians who opposed re-
sponsible government for the Metis in
the West.

It was from this that the agitation in
Ontario grew so that Riel, though three
times elected to the federal parliament,
never was able to take his seat, and
finally was expelled in 1874 and ban-
ished for five years from Canada.

It is out of the hatred and fears of
Ontario about the French that the deni-
gration of Riel, the distortion of his
role in Canadian history, began and
continued.

Riel went into exile. The Metis on
the banks of the Red River moved
westward as. the intrusions by the new
government from Ottawa prevented
them from living the life they desired.
And so, on the banks of the Saskatche-
wan, the second stage in the drama
began 10 years later.

Responsible government had been
won for. Manitoba, but in the North-
West the lieutenant-governor was su-
preme. The lot of the Metis people was
hard. No less than 80 petitions and
other submissions were made to the
government in Ottawa between 1878
and 1884. Try as they could they were
unable to get title to the land they
farmed, while large blocs were going
to speculators.

They turned to Louis nil q
leadership. Speaking at ma
gina later, Riel said: “I Wi
of war. I crossed the TiN | cgi:
and without ammunition for
tition for my people 20° ite
the hope of obtaining S°™
complete satisfaction. indi
What he met was t or ee
Regina and Ottawa. /
ity of the land sp
final answer of the 8

e
eculato® fi
oven }

pit

to redress the grievance (iii
oo &
ny

aif

an army. The Metis
to arm to defend the
superiority of men @
army made the outcome | sal

W. M. Davidson, 4 Bi
Riel, says this: e

“The 2 see of that |
Metis men and women
preservation and for
their rights in a 4@& i
against such preponder
an heroic episode in C4. allie
Their terrible strugg© sist
for their determined Tio fit
the Canadian governme', thee
wrongs and to recogniz’ gi 4a
of their race as wort ult

But for Riel the 7 j
trial and execution.

The political com
Riel raged in Ontarie |
Quebec, The governm
A. Macdonald chosé bi
holding the court's §
tangle of English-
fate of Riel was scale?
as a symbol of the FF ty's
the Conservative
Ontario.

a
msel¥
nd 8

ef

le 2

right, that Riel was @ .
to Canada, and not 0
more Canadians havé
that he was in every :
adian patriot, who £008 iy ae
fore him for democt J )
against despotism. in
Speaking at Batoch® ef
at a ceremony me
1885, on the occasion
niversary of the R®
Canada, Malcolm sf
of Saskatchewan Salt jaye 5
“Among those WH? Gaye ie
in those troublesome we fi
David Riel .- - the!
cause? . . . Through es
thers, the Metis P%
to their lands. Theil @
lands and their W
them, were of a pice
ism which has insP.
where to defend the
sessions:”

s
Canadians to acknow!
ism of Riel, the e is
of his contribution,
west for Canada, t
for the province ©
katchewan: his true
Canadian patriot.