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
The
Red
River
Valley
Many peoples lived across Rupert’s Land and the NorthWestern 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.
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 1969, 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.
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 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.
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.
Riel pardoned two of
the men, but allowed
Scott’s sentence to
stand.
On March 4, Scott was
executed by firing
squad.
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.
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.
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.
End of Rebellion
Although Riel fled to the USA before the Expedition reached Upper
Fort Garry, the arrival of the Expedition marked the end of the
Rebellion.
With Riel gone, the Canadian government “banished” him from
Canada for five years in exchange for granting him amnesty for the
execution of Thomas Scott.
Riel returned to Red River in the summer of 1871, but was forced to
leave again when the Ontario government put a $5000 bounty on
him.
Dispersion of the Métis
Due to all of the delays and
problems with their land
grants, as well as the sense
that they were unwelcome
among the Protestant
immigrants, many Métis
people decided to leave
Manitoba.
More than 4000 left
Manitoba between 1870
and 1885, at first slowly, but
then in increasing numbers
after 1876.
Challenges in the Northwest
Things did not get better for the Métis after they left
Manitoba. Steamboats were being used to transport
goods, which decreased jobs for the Métis. The
decline of bison herds caused hunger and hard times.
In 1870, land surveyors arrived in the Batoche region
to claim land for the government, ignoring the Métis
who had settled there.
In 1884, a group of Métis men travelled to Montana
to seek out Louis Riel. They asked Riel to lead them
again in their struggle for fair treatment by the
federal government in Ottawa.
Riel agreed to help.