There is always one person who is responsible for keeping everything under control. This refers to a Métis-born leader widely known as Louis Riel, who is one of the most prominent, yet one of the most controversial figures of Canada during the Red River and the North-West Rebellions. I respectfully disagree that Louis Riel is guilty of high treason, who instead should be granted clemency and not be executed. Although some people may believe this is wrong, they are oblivious of his outstanding accomplishments, such as defending the Métis rights, taking good risks and action, and shaping the province of Manitoba. Louis Riel, a daring man who possesses the qualities of a dominant leader, should be looked upon as an inspiring hero for everyone. He defended the Métis rights. In 1869, the Dominion of Canada purchased Rupert’s Land, where the Métis; a type of group that were a mix of European and Aboriginal, happen to live in the Red River, classified under Rupert’s Land. Just then, the inhabitants of the Red River were notified of this upsetting news, and the Metis refused to accept losing their progress of their farms and villages. C’est horrible, we French people would say! This was the moment when Louis Riel, a well-educated man, stood up for his own underprivileged kind, and became the champion of the Métis. He himself believed that it was their land and it was rightfully theirs. In spite of the lack of papers and evidence to prove the land was legally theirs, Louis Riel and the Métis were unfairly treated due to their different cultures and traditions. As a result of this, Louis had no other choice but to take action and start immediately before it was too late. Other than supporting the Métis, he as well supported us French Cana... ... middle of paper ... ...conclusion that Louis Riel is indeed a legacy who should be regarded as one who is innocent. He has left us questioning whether or whether not his movements were plausible, but then again, he has nevertheless managed to carry honor and pride, while contributing many things towards Canada through his objectives. He preserved the Métis home territory and rights through many obstacles, which gradually led to the formation of Manitoba. He went through plenty of danger, while he knew they were coming. Louis Riel’s noble actions are too worthy to be burdened with charges of high treason and felony. “No matter what happens now,” he stated, “the rights of the Métis are assured by the Manitoba Act; that is what I wanted. My mission is finished.” Louis Riel, a hero, a saint, a prophet, is not the only one that is facing injustice and discrimination today in the 19th century.
Louis Riel was a hero and a representative for the Metis people. His ultimate goals was to protect his people and try to obtain the same rights for his Metis people, which were given to the White English in Canada. He represented those who could not represent themselves. . Louis Riel and the Metis people demanded equal rights for each person, but time after time, the government refused to provide them with these rights. After the Rebellion Louis Riel was elected by Manitoba in the House of Commons. Riel went to Ottawa in an attempt to take his seat, but was not allowed because he was threatened that if he was near the house of commons he would be shot by many, I believe that this was the governments fault. The government had the ability to stop the threats, but chose
The years following the Second World War were bleak in regards to Canada's future as a country, with the public and politicians alike set against each other, but soon a Québec man by the name of René Lévesque entered journalism, and then politics, voicing his views for all to hear, with great success and vigour. Though obstacles presented themselves often in his life, he changed the views of Québec, Canada and the world as a whole. René Lévesque was a passionate and charismatic politician who greatly contributed to post-war Québec and even today through his beliefs in separatism, founding the Parti Québecois and passing Bill 101.
Was Louis Riel a hero or a traitor? Well, some individuals say that he was a hero, and others say that he was a traitor. Individually I believe that Louis Riel was a hero because he was the forefather of Manitoba, which is a province of Canada. The fact that he was a persuasive politician and spiritual leader made him a hero as well. Lastly, he stood up for Native rights. Others like the British had thought of him mostly as a traitor, because they were not able to understand that Louis Riel had just needed the Canadian government to treat his people fairly, and that he was willing to do everything for his people. Instead the government had thought that he was violent and evil, so a threat to them. Most people who had seen him as a traitor had realized that he did everything for his people…after his hanging.
...dships, in fear of their identities being erased. He willingly sacrificed his own existence to protect those who could not protect themselves. He was a man who seized such remarkable qualities that made him such a powerful individual during the nineteenth century; determination, charisma, and the ability of having strong beliefs. Those who question his sanity still view him as an essentially honourable figure within Canadian history. He was a man of nobility and pride in his own culture, he voiced for equality and freedoms for his people, without him, many rights would have been denied to the Métis citizens. In the end, many still question his existence and reputation, when in fact, his name is still a living legend today; a symbol of native sovereignty. Louis Riel is in fact, one of Canada’s most important figures in history and is without a doubt, a hero to many.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.
The controversy surrounding the trial and execution of Louis Riel has been debated throughout Canadian history with the French-speaking Canadians firmly planted against the English. Today, the government has recognized Riel as the legitimate leader of the Métis people. He is now regarded as a hero for representing the Métis.
During the late 1860s the Red River Settlement was rapidly changing and along with these changes came multiple causes and conflicts that would subsequently to a resistance called the Red River Rebellion. Many profound changes occurred in the Red River Settlement that had caused problems and hostility among the inhabitants to emerge such as:the arrival of Canadians to the settlement, the economic problems and the decline of the Hudson Bay Company. However, the Red River Rebellion was sparked by the Hudson Bay Company selling Rupert’s Land to the new Dominion of Canada without consulting with the inhabitants nor paying any regards to their interests.The colonists of the Red River Settlement, many of whom were Metis, feared for their culture and land rights under the dominion’s control. In order to ascertain that their rights would be protected, the Metis set up a provisional government under the leadership of Louis Riel to negotiate an agreement with the new Dominion of Canada that the Red River Settlement and the lands surrounding it, could enter Confederation as the province of Manitoba under their own terms.
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
Quebecois Nationalism has always been a large scale issue within Quebec; which during previous times, received sudden spikes, eliciting concerns from the Canadian Government, as well as citizens. Since the needs of Quebec were not being met to their full extent, they made a conscious decision to handle the matter themselves, which resulted in the beginning of the Quiet Revolution. This resulted in the Quebecois people voting the Liberal Party into power, lead by Jean Lesage, in the year 1960, which gave French Canadians a limited amount of influence in their government. During this point in time, Quebec had reached the peak at which it could hold its patience, and had now realized that the Canadian Government was going to do next to nothing in the manner of aid. This resulted in it being the primary duty of Quebec to keep the province alive, instead of the Federal Government. This created the outcome in which the people of Quebec, taking matters into their own hands, sparked both, the Quiet Revolution, and ...
Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour of the province of Quebec, had a large impact on the October Crisis and the FLQ attacks. The Quebec-born politician was known for his work against then-Quebec Premier; Maurice Duplessis. Laporte targeted the Duplessis government.
Canada and Quebec have always been in conflict from the confederation of 1867 to the Supreme court judgement on the secession of Quebec in 1998. Quebec faces several challenges in terms of constitutional relations with the rest of Canada. Quebec is seeking a special status to preserve and protect its culture and language, while the rest of English-speaking Canada accepts the view of provincial equality. There have been attempts to recognize Quebec's concerns through constitutional amendments, but these attempts have not lived up to Quebec's expectations and for the most parts have failed. Quebec has threatened Canada throughout history with separation from Canada. These threats have not been ignored, the rest of Canada realizes the devastating impact economically and politically if Quebec did separate but they cannot reach a compromise. Canada has as tried to encourage Quebec not to separate from Canada. In 1995 Quebec held its second referendum on sovereignly and the separatists narrowly lost the province wide. The province brought the case to the Supreme court of Canada to rule on the legal guidelines of unilateral secession under Canadian and international law, in the end some say the federalists (those not wanting to separate) came out on top. In this essay I will discuss the various historical attempts made by government to keep Quebec a part of Canada. I will also attempt to explain the impact of the Supreme Court Ruling on the Quebec secession. Many argue that the federalist won in the decision but that statement is debatable. Both Quebec and the rest of Canada won in the ruling. I believe that English Canadians should spend some time getting to know their French neighbors and vice ...
government, t. p. (n.d.). Quebec Nationalism - Quebec History. Faculty.marianopolis.edu. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/events/natpart4.htm
Louis Riel was one of the most controversial figures in Canadian history, and even to this day – more than a century after his execution – he continues to be remembered. Many believed him to be a villain; others saw him as a hero. So who was he really? Born in St. Boniface at the Red River Settlement of Canada (present-day Winnipeg, Manitoba) on October 22, 1844, Louis Riel hoped one day to follow his father’s footsteps and become a great Métis leader just like him. Eventually, Riel was seen as a hero to the French-speaking Métis. In the Canadian West, however, most people regarded him as a villain due to his execution in 1885. Nevertheless, Louis Riel was not really a villain by heart; only a flawed man who made many mistakes in his life. Today many more people are seeing him as a visionary, and recognizing the numerous contributions that he made to building Canada up as a nation. He was indubitably a Canadian hero, mainly due to his involvement with the Métis, confederating Manitoba with Canada, and approaching problems peacefully.
Toussaint Louverture was a free man of color in the colony of St. Domingue, he was one of the few free men of color in the colony most were slaves. Louverture was a former educated slave who wanted to end slavery in his home island. (Katz) Toussaint was born in about 1743 into a slave family, “Toussaint’s owner, actively encouraged him to learn to read and write. He developed a passion for books and his readings were to become a great influence in his political life. Toussaint was freed from slavery at around the age of 33 and colonial records show that he became a land and slave owner himself”(History.state.gov). Toussaint then later in 1789 led the slaves out of slavery defeating the French.
The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) represents the Métis community in Manitoba in political, cultural, social and economic matters (Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), 2013). Manitoba Métis Federation, representing Métis in Manitoba, filed a claim asking for a declaration that the federal and provincial statutes, which affected the implementation of Manitoba Act provisions, were "constitutionally invalid” (Chartrand, p. 477, 1991). In Section 31 of Manitoba Act, 1870, it provided lands to the Métis people. Section 32 assured the settlers, Aboriginal or not, that their occupied lands in 1869 would not be “jeopardized” by the wave of newcomers (Sprague...