There were many reasons for the Red River Rebellion. The Métis and Native peoples living in the Red River Settlement felt ignored by the Canadian government. They felt they were not being treated as equals, and wanted their rights to be heard.
One of the first events that sparked the rebellions of the Red River was the Pemmican Proclamation, issued by Miles Macdonell, and the Battle of the Seven Oaks. The Pemmican Proclamation banned the sale and export of pemmican from the Red River. The Métis, who relied on the proceeds of selling pemmican, were upset by this. In the fall, Robert Semple, a new governor of the colony, arrived. Semple attacked and burned the then-empty Fort Gilbraltar. This action convinced the Métis that the colonists wanted to declare war on them. . In May of 1816, a group of Métis, led by Cuthbert Grant, raided a brigade of HBC boats. They seized a supply of pemmican as a compensation for Macdonell’s Pemmican Proclamation. A month later, Grant and a party of better armed Métis arrived at the colony. Semple underestimated the power of these Métis, and rode out with 28 men to confront the Métis. In the span of 15 minutes, Semple and 20 of his men were killed by the Métis.
The Sale of Rupert’s Land was also a reason for discontent in the Red River. Between 1867 and 1868, the Canadian government and the HBC began to negotiate transferring control of Rupert’s Land. The HBC did not consult the people who lived in the Red River Settlement. During 1869, the land speculators and surveyors raised the tension level within the Red River Settlement. The settlers were angry at the HBC for proceeding with the sale of Rupert’s Land without consulting them.
One of people who angered the Métis the most was Dr. John Schultz, and the Orange Order. Most of the new settlers were part of the Orange Order, a violently anti-French, anti-Catholic, and anti-Métis movement. Schultz was the author of the ‘NorWester’, which he used to