As most of Canada celebrated Family Day, Manitobans honoured Louis Riel

Alex Karpa takes a look at the history and legacy of Louis Riel as Manitoba celebrates its founder.

With many Canadians celebrating Family Day, Manitobans instead honoured a prominent political leader of the Metis people.

Louis Riel, a pivotal figure in Canadian history, is being celebrated across Manitoba for his leadership and contributions that helped shape the province’s entry into Confederation.

Riel led two separate Metis resistances in what is now present-day Manitoba and Saskatchewan: The Red River Resistance in 1870, and the Northwest Resistance in 1885.

“Riel was an instrumental person in terms of the negotiations with the government,” said Cindy Desrochers, executive director of the St. Boniface Museum in Winnipeg. “He made a list of rights that would encompass all peoples who were living here at the time in the settlement.”

That list became the foundation for what is known today as the Manitoba Act.

But despite all his efforts, Riel was, at the time, seen as a traitor. He was executed for treason at age 41 on Nov. 16, 1885, in Regina.

Today, he is celebrated by many in Manitoba. He was declared the province’s founder in 1992 and was named the first honorary premier of Manitoba in 2023.

Back in November, Prime Minister Mark Carney laid a wreath at the grave of Riel in Winnipeg, which marked the 140th anniversary of his execution.

“All of history is important,” said Desrochers. “Not only Riel, not only Métis people, but all of our histories combined. They influence who we are today.”

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Riel’s vision helped shape the province into what it is today.

“For me, this holiday is also personal,” Kinew said in a statement Monday. “It is about being with family, sharing stories and remembering the strength of Manitoba has always come from our communities.”

“The same spirit that brought people together in 1870 lives on today. It is there when communities come together to celebrate culture. It is there when we support one another through challenges and it is there in the quiet pride we feel in calling Manitoba home,” the statement read.

The Manitoba Metis Federation also honoured Riel, saying he “protected Red River Métis self-determination and language rights for all, laying the foundation for the Manitoba we know today.”

Preserving Riel’s legacy

Winnipeg’s St. Boniface Museum is home to some of Manitoba’s oldest and best-preserved artifacts, including ones belonging to Riel.

“It’s a combination of his personal affects, as well as things that revolved around his life, or other Metis or family people’s lives,” Desrochers said.

And preserving and honouring that history, for Desrochers, is extremely important.

“These pieces that we have here, will help you reflect on what has happened in the past, and how people were living,” she said. “Take the time to learn.”

Riel celebrated at Western Canada’s largest winter festival

Festival du Voyageur is an annual event in Winnipeg that celebrates the francophone and Metis cultures and the history of the fur trade.

Breanne Lavallee-Heckert, who is the executive director of the festival, says the culture and history of the Metis people, and Riel, is on full display for visitors, including the beginnings of the Metis people.

“Our founder was a proud Métis man, so really it’s rooted in everything we do here at Festival, but especially on Louis Riel Day,” she said.

“It’s a great way to understand that history and understanding the role of the fur-trade in the birth of our province, which eventually led to Louis Riel and his provisional government which created the province,” she said.