Cluster 3: Becoming a Sovereign Nation Metis Resistance Cluster 3: Becoming a Sovereign Nation

The Dominion of Canada The British North America Act of 1867 created the Dominion of Canada with: Four provinces: Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick Three colonies: Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and British Colombia Two territories: Rupert’s Land, and the North-Western Territory As soon as Confederation was approved, many people in the Dominion of Canada sought out to expand the colony. One reason for the interest in western growth was that the population in the Dominion of Canada was growing rapidly.

The Red River Valley Many peoples lived across Rupert’s Land and the North- Western Territory, however, one of the areas most immediately affected by the impending acquisition of Rupert’s Land was the settlement along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Most of the population was Metis, but the community include many other groups, such as the families of HBC employees who had settled alongside the Selkirk settlers. Many First Nations people regularly visited the region as part of their traditional migrations, and some had settled there permanently. After the arrival of Father Provencher in 1818 and the creation of a Roman Catholic mission at St Boniface, many French Canadian families also settled in the area.

The Confederation of Manitoba In April 1869, the HBC and the Canadian and British governments reached a deal to transfer Rupert’s Land to the Dominion of Canada. The HBC received £300 000 to return the land to the British Crown. The company also retained a significant amount of territory, including 20% of all arable land and more than 20 000 hectares around its trading posts. Between April and December 1869, Prime Minister John A Macdonald expected the HBC to conclude any outstanding issues between the company and its residents, including issues related to land title. At no point did negotiators consult with First Nations, Metis or Inuit peoples. 3) However, the HBC did not attempt to resolve these issues. Many families had lived at Red River for several generations, but not everyone had their farms recorded in the HBC’s Land Register. When news of the land transfer reached Red River, residents were justifiably concerned about how the transfer might affect their homes and livelihood.

When a survey team arrived at Red River to establish boundary markers to prepare for an anticipated influx of immigrants tensions began. Survey crews trespassed on farms and did not inform residents what they were doing. On October 11, 1869, a Métis farmer, André Nault, tried to prevent surveyors from working on his land. When surveyors ignored him, a group of neighbours, including Nault’s cousin, Louis Riel, stepped in. Métis people banded together to form the Comité national des Métis, who wanted the people of the region to be informed of policies affecting their land and to be part of the negotiations.

Despite the Comité’s demands, William McDougall (the Dominion’s minister of public works) and a party of armed officials tried to enter Red River from the south, by the United States. The party was met by armed Métis people and were escorted back across the US border. This then led to Prime Minister Macdonald proclaiming Rupert’s Land for the Dominion of Canada, ending the HBC’s authority and removing the newly-announced government.

Red River Rebellion The Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance are the names given to the events surrounding the actions of the provisional government established by Métis leader Louis Riel in 1869 at the Red River Settlement. The Red River Rebellion (or the Red River Resistance, Red River Uprising, or First RielRebellion) was the sequence of events related to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Colony, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba.

Riel addresses the crowd at Upper Fort Garry, November 2, 1869

Upper Fort Garry

The events that occurred during the Confederation of Manitoba are sometimes called the Red River Resistance or Red River Rebellion, and the North-West Resistance is sometimes called the North- West Rebellion or Riel Rebellion. What is the difference between a resistance and a rebellion? From what perspective would each word be used?

The Provisional Government is Formed The claim of Rupert’s Land prompted the Comité to begin to work on a list of demands to negotiate terms for the entry of their territory into the Canadian federation. In the meantime, John Schultz, a recent arrival to Rupert’s Land who was anti-Catholic and anti-French, and his supporters became increasingly impatient, wanted to bring about the transfer of power to Canada, planned an attack on the Comité and take control of the settlement. The Comité arrested the men, and declared the formation of a provisional government at Red River, with Riel as president. The Comité declared that the provisional government was necessary to keep peace and order in the settlement until negotiations with the Dominion of Canada could take place.

Riel’s Provisional Government

In January, 1870, a delegation of Canadian officials arrived at Red River to meet with the provisional government and other members of the community. On February 7, a new provisional government of 40 representatives, called the Convention of Forty, was elected, with Riel still as president. This government continued work on a list of rights to be used in the negotiations with Canada.

The Convention of Forty debated and passed a final list of rights on March 22, 1870. The list had widespread, although not unanimous support from Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members of the community. What does this list tell you about the concerns, values, and goals of the Red River community?

The Execution of Thomas Scott Not all of the settlers of Fort Garry agreed with the provisional government. Some wanted the Red River to become a English speaking Protestant province. On February 19, 1870, a group of men was arrested for attempting to take over Upper Fort Garry. One of the men arrested was a laborer named Thomas Scott. The provisional government tried three men and found them guilty of treason, sentencing them to death. Scott did not hesitate to make his anti-French, anti-Catholic views insultingly clear to his captors.

Riel pardoned two of the men, but allowed Scott’s sentence to stand. On March 4, Scott was executed by firing squad.

Many Ontarians held Riel personally responsible for Scott’s death. On March 24, a delegation from Red River went to Ottawa to begin negotiations with the Dominion government. Public opinion remained divided over Scott’s execution, and was largely against the Red River delegation. Many Ontarians held Riel personally responsible for Scott’s death. In Québec however, some people viewed Riel as a hero and a defender of Catholicism and French culture. Scott’s execution highlighted a growing divide between Canada’s largest provinces. 1) However, news of Scott’s execution preceded them.

The Manitoba Act Despite the controversy, negotiations proceeded and the Canadian government passed the Manitoba Bill on May 12, 1870. In June, the British government approved the Manitoba Act and set July 15, 1870, as the date the act would take effect. The Manitoba Act included many terms from the Métis List of Rights passed by the Convention of Forty in March, including the guarantee to the right to elect their own local government.

The new province was so small that Manitoba was sometimes called the “postage stamp province.” Nevertheless, the provisional government believed it had secured the rights and land the residents of Red River would need to protect their unique culture, even with increased immigration.

Canada, 1870

Key Point of the Manitoba Act Manitoba could send four members to the House of Commons in Ottawa and two members to the Canadian Senate. People in Manitoba could use either French or English in schools and government. Approximately 560000 hectors of land was kept for Métis families.

Red River Expedition After the Manitoba Act was passed, Canada sent a military expedition, now known as the Red River Expedition, to Manitoba to enforce federal authority.