Essay Confilcting Ideas of the Past in Canada

At Batoche, Riel told the people that no peaceful solution was possible, he believed that the Canadian government wanted to be at war. He concluded his speech with, “Justice commands us to take up arms.” Riel at this point was announcing war with the government. By calling these orders, Riel caused more violence than there should have been. At Duck Lake, five Metis and one First Nations person were killed along with 12 NWMP officers and another 25 were wounded. This battle was seen as the beginning of the Northwest Uprising. All of these battles caused the loss of many lives, which could have been prevented, if a peaceful solution could have been found. Riel led the Metis to continue fighting against their country until they were short of bullets and were forced to surrender. Riel not only acted on his conspiracies against the government, but his conspiracies lead to battles which caused a large loss of

This led the government to view Louis Riel as a national criminal. As a result, Manitoba was established as a province from the Red River settlement, the Manitoba Act was enacted and Riel fled into exile within U.S borders after the execution of Thomas Scott. Overall, he attempted to take a stand against a bureaucracy that threatened the Métis way of life, only to have to escape in fear of being executed.

Moreover, the government’s insufficiency caused Riel to act accordingly. Earlier, it was mentioned that the Canadian government was not authorized to take legal action until December of 1869. Though this was clearly recognized by the government, they sent surveyors in June of 1869 for settlers to live there. The government broke their own laws, hence it proves that Riel, due to the government’s flawed intentions, had to enforce his rule, by stepping on the chains. Unit Two: The Development of Western Canada, on page 36 highlights that in 1882, surveyors came to the Métis peoples North-West Settlements to examine the land once more. The Métis acted quickly and sent 15 petitions to the Canadian government for the rights of their land, none of which were answered. Once again, the government was incapable. The government could have prevented all the troubles, but due to their insufficiency and flawed system, they let the surveyors come onto the land. In addition to this, the government had signed many treaties with the Métis. But, the government, yet again, didn’t keep their word and didn’t follow the laws of giving them what the treaties had promised. To conclude, Riel was compelled to take arms. The lack of control, caused the government to spend millions and ended in destruction. Flashback Canada on page 196 stated, “Some new evidence suggests that the Chief Justice in Manitoba at the time of Riel’s

Louis Riel should have remained innocent because the government is to blame. Riel made peaceful attempts to improve the Metis' social status and prompt the Canadian government of their presence. Riel wrote many letters of concern to the government which were completely

One of the most contentious issues in Canada's history is that of the Metis. Some people feel this unique group of people does not deserve any sort of recognition, whereas others believe their unique history and culture is something to be recognized and cherished. The history of the Metis people is filled with struggle; not only struggles against other powers, but also a struggle for self-identification. Despite strong opposition, the Metis people of Canada have matured as a political force and have taken great strides towards being recognized as a unique people.

In further analysis, angry people are more likely to listen to militants and commit violent acts, building a tense environment for Quebec citizens to live in. According to CBC Digital Archives, in response to the FLQ and other revolutionary groups forming, “when innocent people became injured from terrorist attacks, the cry for police involvement became shrill.” (FLQ Backgrounder Web) It is evident in this statement that many separatists who resorted to acts of terrorism consequently stimulated anger and fear in Quebec. If the Quiet Revolution had not occurred and the feelings of separatism and rise of terrorist groups did not follow, fewer people would have been hurt by the violence, both directly and indirectly. All things considered, the encouragement of separatism also weakened English-French relations as Quebec left 30 large shared programs, though the other provinces did not have the right to do so. All things considered, “from the Quebec Act of 1774 to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada has protected the place of its French minority. If Quebec were to separate, that protection would be gone and the Francophone society would be assimilated by the wider world within a generation or two.” (Kheiriddin) In relation to this comment, many English Canadians viewed Quebec’s special status during the revolution as

Therefore I stand in favour of the threats alone being reasonable grounds for the federal body to cancel the re-enactment. Parti Quebecois was also blamed for the cancellation for their statement that event is “a slap in the face to Quebecers of French ancestry” (CBC News) which got a rise out of those in support of this political group as they began trying to stop the event. The statement released by Parti Quebecois definitely had a hand in spreading awareness of the negative opinions of the re-enactment which ultimately led to large group of people opposed to the event resulting in the cancellation. All in all, to those in charge, the cancellation of the event was about keeping innocent families out of harm’s way, preventing a modern-day Battle based on the historical one from occurring, and maintaining a civil status between the French and English in Quebec. Although the threats of violence from activist groups were the official reason given for the cancellation of the re-enactment, there are speculations of other reasons as to why the federal body made this decision.

Louis Riel helped set up the Metis National Committee. Later then on November 2, 1869, they seized Upper Fort Garry, which allows them to gain dominance, and negotiate from a position of military strength. On November 16, the Provisional Government was set up. Their government’s goal was to maintain order in the colony during the transition period and to determine the future of union with Canada. The provisional government decided to make a Metis Bill of Rights. In the summer of 1869, the surveyors and William McDougall began dividing the Metis land, without letting them know. Also, Prime Minister Macdonald had sent McDougall instructions not to officially take over Rupert’s Land. To summarize, Mr. Riel was only protecting the Metis

He reblled against the government as they were trying to take his peoples rightful land. By the metis, he is a hero. No matter the consequences he stood up for their rights which led him to his death leaving children behind. By others he is labelled as a traitor or a killer after an ordeal with a man named Thomas Scott. Scott was an unruly, racist, and mean prisoner who had several confrontations with Louis Riel. Unsurprisingly, Louis Riel notified officials which ultimatley led to Scott's execution, to this day people still blame Riel for Scotts death. Despite the contriversy Louis Riel will remain as a Metis Hero and founder of the province Manitoba even with the lable "traitor" on his grave. This man has sacrificed his Family, his job, his sanity, and even his own life to defend what he believed was right and for that, many people will be forever grateful. Unfortunatly Louis Riel's legacy will not impact the future as Metis still have few rights but he will always be a referrence andwill continue to do his job which is spreading awareness on this famous political

Riel decided to help the Métis out, hence became their main leader and spokesperson. He was prepared to speak for the Métis and defend their rights. Riel’s education, speaking ability, and father’s history made him an obvious leader for his people. In time, Riel became deeply involved in his struggle to improve the lives of the Métis People, and he was eventually seen as a visionary to them. He even spearheaded the Métis into having two rebellions against the government.

Former prime minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, believed greatly in what he thought Canada was to become. “The nineteenth century was the century of the United States. I think that we can claim that is it Canada that shall fill the twentieth century. “ was said by Laurier and his words passed almost without notice at the time. However, it did not take long before his words had somehow been transformed into the most famous phrase in Canadian history, “The twentieth century belongs to Canada.” His words showed great confidence and pride in the actions that Canada was supposedly to take to fulfill his vision. He believed that Canada would fill the century, not in size or military might but in progress, growth, and quality of life. Ultimately, he

Though the beginning of the separatist movement was marred by fighting and violence, the vast majority of the conflict has been a political one. The reason for the revolution in Quebec stems from the restrictions placed upon the populace by the English. These restrictions were on both the language and culture of the Quebecois, and caused them to feel trapped in under the English rule, for lack of a better term. This revolution is on a much less certain foot than the others however, with many of the younger citizens not remember the restrictions of days

For some time, many Quebecois had faith in the FLQ, believing the group would speed the process of separation from Canada; however the FLQ’s loyalty to these beliefs is questionable. Ultimately, it was perceived that the FLQ’s only goal was to give Quebec its justice; they wanted to see them united in a free society. On the other hand, during the October Crisis, they had not been able to prove that. When the FLQ kidnapped British diplomat James Cross, it publicized 7 demands, of which only one concerned French-Canadians, pertaining to fairer working conditions which was later dropped (Tetley, 2007). The rest concerned the FLQ themselves: publication of the Manifesto (a public declaration of policy and aims), the name of an informer, $500,000 in gold, the release of 23 jailed terrorists, and to transport them to either Algeria or Cuba (Knowlton, 1990). A goal of Quebec’s at the time, the protection of the French language, was a cause that preoccupied much of the nation, but was not a particular concern for the FLQ. In fact, the 1970 Manifesto was written in and proclaimed in informal French and “Fringlish” (Knowlton, 1990). The FLQ’s dedication to their cause is doubtful. FLQ believed that they weren’t going to get caught, hence their slogan “Independence or death” (Brown, 2011). However, when justice prevailed, the members chose exile rather than martyrdom. This made it clear that the FLQ’s dedication

Overall, He tried to take a stand against a bureaucracy that threatened the Métis way of life

Louis Riel Don’t death penalties go toward murderers, not victims? You can take back your words but can you bring back a life. ”You got to be brave and have courage, believe in yourself, because that is the first thing to success is believe in yourself.” A quote by Louis Riel. When one hears Louis Riel, they think of the founder of Manitoba and the great Metis leader.