Louis Riel and Candian Sovereignty

Louis Riel is arguably Canada’s most ambiguous hero. Riel was the representative leader of the Francophone martyr to English imperialism. The controversy between whether or not Louis Riel was a traitor or saviour was escalated on November 16th 1885 when Riel was hung. This controversy has lasted for over 125 years and brought about much debate as to how Louis Riel should be exalted. Through radical political efforts and motivation to fight for the people of the North West, Louis Riel represents a connection between Indigenous people and Euro-Canadians. Riel often used religious influence to govern his political decisions but later in life slowly started to fade out of the shadow of the Catholic Church. Riel acted as a political leader for the Metis people through the creation of a provisional government which acted as a temporary government for the people of the Red River. Louis Riel’s actions throughout his life that lead to his exile, execution, and exaltation all play and important role in defining Canadian political identity as well as French-English relations and Metis identity to this day. Riel’s execution exemplifies his life’s work, which has played a significant role in the definition of Canadian identity.
In late August 1969, Riel emerged as the leader of the Metis People. He immediately moved to overturn the first coherent plan for Metis response to confederation (which was motivated by Metis aboriginal rights), with a new plan by Riel that was more motivated by Catholic and French rights. There was much conflict in the Metis community as to how they should respond to foreign oppression.1 After a collective decision by the community, Riel
1. Gerhard Ens “Prologue to the Red River Resistance: Pre-Liminal Politics and the Triumph of Riel’” Journal of Canadian History Association, Volume 5, No. 1, 1994. (111-1123)

was voted into power and “historians have generally regarded the first initiative as a failure” (Ens 1994, 114), and attribute it’s