Louis Riel is quite interesting person. People are still arguing about him as a hero or a traitor. He is a hero for Métis people and other French Canadians and he is a traitor for English speaking Canadians. He fought for the rights and land of Métis people. As he was fighting for Métis people, he stood against Canadian government and laws. He was executed for treason, but Canadian government did not really want to kill him because they knew he is a great politician and what he did was for the good of others, not for his own good. It does not matter what people call him, he will always be remembered as a hero for Métis people.
Louis Riel was born in 1844 in the Red River colony. He had a Métis background. Métis were people who have French-Canadian and aboriginal parents. He went to catholic school in Montreal until he was fourteen, but he never graduated. After he went to law school but he never finished that either. Riel came back to hometown in 1968 and Riel became a leader of the Métis of Red River because he was well educated and bilingual. In 1869 Hudson's Bay Company sold their land rights to Canadian government And Métis people were afraid that they will lose their lands to new settlers. Métis and Riel did not like this so they took over Fort Gary so new territorial lieutenant governor William McDougall could not enter. So the first rebellion started. Métis declared the provisional government and Riel became the president. He began to negotiate the Manitoba Act with the Canadian government. The Act is about accepting Manitoba as a province and provides some protection for French language rights. There was some resistance of Canadians who were against Riel's government. They were anti-French, and anti-Catholic. They were arrested near fort Gary and Thomas Scott was one of them. He was executed. Riel had no legal rights to kill him but Riel felt it was necessary to show Canadian government that the Métis must be taken seriously. This made people in Ontario who were anti-French, And anti catholic mad. That year Manitoba Act was passed so Métis people can have freedom on language and rights to vote. He was elected in a parliament three times, but he could never take his seat. In 1875, Riel was exiled from Canada for 5 years taking responsibility in the death of Thomas Scott. While he was banned, he began to show signs insanity. He stayed in asylums in Quebec and started to think him as a prophet sent by God to save Métis people.
Métis had moved to North-west after Red river rebellion and settled in Batoche which is now in Saskatchewan. They did not want to be a part of an English-dominated Canada. But even in North-west Métis felt they were not being treated well by the government. At that time the Canadian pacific rail way was being built and government decided to cut their budget from Indian department and a result of this many Métis people suffered from starvation. Métis asked Riel for help so he wrote letters and petitions to Ottawa for legal claim. But no action was taken from Canadian government. With frustration, Métis asked Riel to return and lead them. On March 1885, Riel, along with Gabriel Dumont and others set up the provisional government believing that they could influence the government the same way they did in 1869. Métis forces clashed with North-West Mounted Police at Duke lake and they defeated them. On April 1885 near Frog lake, Alberta a Cree uprising led by Wandering Spirit attacked a small town and killed most of white settlers, Angered by unfair treaties by the Canadian government and the decreasing buffalo population, their main source of food. After this incident Canadian government responded quickly with a force of 8000 men. The armies met on May 9, 1885 at Batoche, and by May 12, the overpowered Métis were defeated. Riel was captured and was taken to Regina to stand trial for treason. At the trial, he made some great speeches. Louis quoted "I am glad that the Crown had proved that I am the leader of the half-breeds, in the Northwest. I will perhaps be one day acknowledged as more than a leader of half-breeds, and if I am, I will have the opportunity of being acknowledged as a leader of good in the great country." He had a way to live by admitting insanity but he refused. On 1 August 1885, a jury of six English-speaking Protestants found Riel guilty but they asked not to kill him. But Canadian government didn't give him a chance and he was sentenced to death. He was hanged in Regina on 16 November in 1885.
To some people Louis Riel was a villain and a traitor. They call him a murderer for killing Thomas Scott. Those people who call him that name were mostly racist who did not like French speaking people or native people. So it is not true. Louis Riel lived his life for Métis people. He did not have any personal intensions for helping them. He helped them through two rebellions and lost his life on it. He just wanted them to be treated well like other white Canadians and also protected and giving rights to Métis people such as voting, purchasing lands, cultural and language rights and religion. Today Louis Riel is being called a father of confederation. His two rebellions against government resulted as a formation of the province Manitoba. He made a Manitoba Act which is to protect Métis people and protecting their rights. The Act made English and French become official languages of province and made education system in French. Louis Riel helped a lot developing Manitoba; he is often called 'The Founding Father of Manitoba'.
Louis Riel is still very controversial character of Canadian history depends on how you think about him. But one thing is clear. No matter what people say about him. He had contributed to building Canada as united nation. And historically he had done something very important that changed Canada. His effort towards Métis people and what he had done for the development of North-West Canada would be remembered and will always be praised by others. He was a hero.
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