Who Was Louis Riel A Hero

To many people in Canada, particularly to the Metis of the Prairies, Louis Riel was undoubtedly a hero. Being of Metis heritage himself, Louis Riel stood up for his Metis people during some of their greatest hardships. In November of 1869, Riel composed the List of Rights for the Metis of the Red River territory to present to the federal government. The goal of the List of Rights was to establish the Red River area into confederation as the province of Manitoba, while guaranteeing the rights of the Metis at the same time. When the federal government continued to delay its acceptance of the List of Rights, Louis Riel helped in the formation of a provisional government in the Red River area, and also became its leader. On July 15, 1870, Manitoba …show more content…
In addition to the creation of Manitoba, Louis Riel also aided in the formation of the province of Saskatchewan, although with a less successful result. The government’s interest in negotiating with Metis had greatly decreased by 1885, due to the establishment of the North-West Mounted Police and the near completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In response, Riel drafted a bill of rights for the Metis in Saskatchewan (then Batoche), which would help secure their land rights. However, when the Metis heard that the government was sending 500 soldiers to respond to their demands, they decided to take control of a church in Batoche, where they set up a provisional government with Louis Riel as its leader. The Metis then engaged in a battle, which became known as the North-West Resistance, against Canadian soldiers in an attempt to capture the HBC post at Fort Carlton. Although successful at first, the Metis were eventually defeated by the vast Canadian troops and Louis Riel surrendered himself. Despite Louis Riel’s failures and his unfortunate ending, he did more for his people than anyone and he passionately protected them from the discrimination of the Canadian