Expansion of Canada

Red River Resistance

Conflict around the sale of Rupert’s Land sale was known as the RRR

Metis population

• Métis population in Northwest were living on Rupert’s Land prior to Confederation. After Confederation, that land was purchased by the Canadian Government.

Population of the Northwest

Composed mostly of First Nations peoples, Metis (French-Speaking/Catholic), and settlers of Scottish+English descent (Protestant)

• Metis were almost 10,000

Sale of Rupert’s Land

• Rupert’s Land covers about 1/3 of Canada’s geographic area today

• Originally controled by the Hudson’s Bay Company, and in 1868 was sold to British government to later become part of Canada

• No First Nations or Metis peoples were informed about this sale before it happened

Land Rights

New Canadian gov promised to recognize Aboriginal land titles and uphold British law.

• Government did not recognize Metis as having the same land rights as First Nations

• Government said that any land rights applying to First Nations was not applicable to the Metis

Land titles

legal Aboriginal rights to land/territory recognized by Canadian government

Surveyors

• Before Rupert’s Land was actually sold, the Canadian government wanted to measure how much land there was, so they sent people called “surveyors”

Louis Riel

• Emerging leader of the group of Métis in Red River community - born and raised in Red River area and studied law in Montreal. He did NOT like the surveyors, and got a group of friends/supporters to force the surveyors to leave

Métis National Committee

• Métis organized Métis National Committee on October 16, 1869 in response to conflict with surveys; committee members were elected by settlers and Riel was chosen as secretary

William McDougall

• In late September 1869, Canadian government had chosen William McDougall of Ontario to be first lieutenant-governor of Northwest

Riel stopping McDougall

• In early November 1869, Riel gathered support from Métis community and forcefully stopped McDougall from crossing border and entering the area

• At the same time, a group of Métis from Métis National Committee occupied Fort Garry

• They now controlled Red River which delayed transfer of Rupert’s Land to Canadian government, scheduled on Dec 1, 1869 ← Canadian government had no legal authority in Northwest

The Provisional Government

• Métis created own provisional (temporary) government to negotiate with Canadian government in December 1869

  • Louis Riel was president of this provisional government

• Riel took steps to prevent McDougall from creating exclusively English and Protestant territory

  • Provisional government included French-speaking Métis and English-speaking Protestant residents of Red River

    • Also wrote bill of rights outlining its terms for joining Canada as a new province

Canadian Party

• A group of Red River settlers called themselves the Canadian Party and wanted to overthrow the provisional government almost immediately

Thomas Scott

• ers

  • Métis captured 50 members of Canadian Party and imprisoned them in Fort Garry

    • Thomas Scott, prominent Protestant of Orangemen (conservative, Protestant, British unionist), was among the men captured; he was not a nice man, often insulting the Métis guards

  • Riel held a court to try Scott for contempt (disobedience) because of pressure from the angry Métis

    • Scott was found guilty and executed in March 1870.

      • His death made him famous