Louis Riel a divisive figure long after he was hanged
The Metis leader and founder of Manitoba Louis Riel — born on Oct. 22, 1844, at Saint-Boniface — has divided Canadians for generations.
Was he an inspired leader whose Metis provisional government forces took a heroic stand at the village of Batoche, Sask., or an unstable, self-serving charlatan who wilfully drew Canadian troops to his brave, but ultimately doomed, fighters?
Surrendering to Canadian government forces in May 1885 after the Metis pushback against government encroachment onto their lands, Riel was hanged for treason on Nov. 16 of the same year outside Regina, after a trial that saw the jury ask in vain that he be spared.
Riel had led the 1869 Red River Rebellion that gave birth to Manitoba by 1870, and survived the NorthWest Rebellion and Batoche in 1885, but he was not to outlive his own strongly held convictions when, at trial, his legal team wanted to convince the jury that he was insane. Too proud to, in his own words, “play insanity,” he spoke out and ultimately hastened his own hanging.
Just as outstanding land claims from the Red River Rebellion have led the Manitoba Metis Federation all the way to the Supreme Court as recently as November 2016, the national debate over Riel has rumbled on.
In recent years, his cause has been looked upon far more favourably. But often, Anglo/French and Catholic/Protestant divisions remain over Riel, who oversaw the execution of the Orangeman Thomas Scott in 1870, but was a hero to the Metis and other indigenous peoples and settlers for two stands against the young Canadian government.
As we celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, the Leader-Post and StarPhoenix are telling the stories of 150 Saskatchewan people who helped shape the nation. Send your suggestions or feedback to sask150@postmedia.com.