THE MÉTIS IN THE NORTHWEST?

After Confederation, the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land.

the population of the Northwest was made

up of First Nations peoples

Metis were European and Indigenous, and who were primarily french speakings

In 1868, the Canadian government began work on Dawson Road. This
new, 120-kilometre road would link Fort Garry, located in present-day
Winnipeg, with an existing route to present-day Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Rupert’s Land included a large portion of
present-day southern Alberta, most of Saskatchewan, all of
Manitoba, northern Ontario, the northwest half of Québec,
and Nunavut.
Hudson’s Bay Company was
preparing to sell Rupert’s Land to the British government.
The British government would then turn over the land to
Canada, and the territory would become a colony under
The sale, however,
did not involve any consultation with the First Nations

As part of the sale of Rupert’s Land, the new Canadian government promised to uphold British laws and recognize Aboriginal land titles. These land titles are the legal Aboriginal right to land or a territory recognized by the Canadian government. However, the government did not recognize the Métis as having the same land rights as First Nations. The government’s position was that any land agreements it made with First Nations did not apply to the Métis. Many Métis were worried they would lose their land if Rupert’s Land was turned over to the Canadian government.