History - Changing Society

Unit 2

The Northwest Resistance

Lesson 11

Canada’s communities in the Northwest were changing in the 1880s. New settlers were continuously moving into Manitoba. How do you think these developments affected the Métis living in the Northwest?

PETITIONING THE GOVERNMENT OVER DELAYED LAND CLAIMS

As part of the 1870 Manitoba Act, the federal government promised to set aside land for 7000 descendants of the Red River Métis. By 1884, the Métis were still waiting for the federal government to issue their land grants. Read the quote below from a letter written on May 18, 1884 by a man named N.C.W. to Louis Riel . What does it tell you about how some Métis people felt about the delayed land claims?

Frustrated and tired of waiting for the government to respond, many Métis left Manitoba. Many Métis moved to Saskatchewan, which was known as the District of Saskatchewan at the time. They wanted to join pre-existing Métis communities there. Others left for the United States. New immigrants were also arriving in Manitoba at the time. Census records show Manitoba’s Métis population dropped from 83 percent in 1870 to just 7 percent in 1886.

Louis Riel's Return to Canada

In May 1884, a group of four Métis men, including Gabriel Dumont, a Métis leader from Saskatchewan, travelled to Montana to meet with Louis Riel. They wanted Riel to lead their protest against the federal government. During his exile, Riel had become more religious. He was convinced that this invitation to lead the Métis again was part of God’s plan for him.

Riel and his followers petitioned the federal government in December 1884 to settle both Métis and new settler land claims. The federal government responded in February 1885, promising to form a committee to investigate the land claim issue. Many Métis saw this as just another way the government would delay settling the land claims.

CREATING A NEW PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT

Riel and Dumont saw how the federal government ignored the Métis, as well as the First Nations and other settlers in the Northwest. The two men were convinced they had to take more drastic action. The group organized an army of about 300 men and signed a secret oath, partly shown in the picture. How do you think the federal government would react to seeing this oath?

On March 19, 1885, Riel created a provisional government like the one he had set up in Manitoba in 1870. Riel, who had begun to refer to himself as a “Prophet of the New World,” was appointed president. Dumont was chosen to lead the militia. The federal government grew concerned about another possible Métis resistance. On March 22, the federal government alerted government troops to prepare for possible action in the Northwest.

THE NORTHWEST RESISTANCE

Messengers from Riel’s government were sent to First Nations communities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to urge them to join the Métis in a more forceful resistance. Some members of the Plains and Woodland Cree and Assiniboine, who were also frustrated with the government, agreed to join the resistance. However, a number of First Nations leaders still wanted peace with the federal government.

BATTLE OF DUCK LAKE

On March 25, 1885, Dumont and his men raided the local store in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, for supplies. Duck Lake was located near Batoche. The next day, a group of 100 North-West Mounted Police tried to track down Dumont and his 300 men in order to take back the stolen supplies. To avoid violence, Dumont instructed his men to hide while his brother, Isidore, and Assiwiyin, a Cree Elder, spoke to the police. A fight still broke out and gunshots were fired, signalling the start of the first battle in the resistance. Men on both sides were killed, including Isidore and Assiwiyin. The North-West Mounted Police were forced to retreat.

A sketch showing the battle at Duck Lake from 1885. Look at the foreground and background. What story is told by the details in each?

After the Battle of Duck Lake, the federal government sent troops to the Northwest, led by the newly appointed Major-General Frederick Middleton. At the time of the 1870 Red River Resistance, the government had not been able to send troops quickly since the railway did not extend into what is now Manitoba. By 1885, this had changed.

Look at the picture below which shows the government troops at Winnipeg Station in 1885. What does the photo tell you about the government’s response to the Northwest Resistance?

This photo shows government troops arriving at Winnipeg Station in April 1885.

It took only 11 days for the first troops to arrive in the Northwest. Within a month, there were 3000 government troops ready to fight the Métis. The railway also allowed troops to bring in large supplies of weapons. One of the weapons the troops brought was the Gatling gun. The Gatling gun worked like an early version of the machine gun. It was able to fire 100 rounds of ammunition per minute.

BATTLE AT BATOCHE

After Duck Lake, there were several battles throughout April. Toward the end of the month, Middleton and his troops headed toward Riel’s headquarters in Batoche. Dumont led his militia to Fish Creek, south of Batoche, where they ambushed Middleton’s troops, forcing them to retreat.

The retreat lasted only a few weeks. Middleton and some of his troops headed for Batoche again in early May. The Métis and First Nations militia of fewer than 300 men faced a government force of over 800. Seeing the Métis were outnumbered, Dumont wanted to use surprise attacks in the countryside, taking advantage of his knowledge of the land. Riel refused. He believed that God was on their side and wanted them to fight against their enemy at Batoche.

The battle began on May 9, 1885, with a three-day standoff. After a series of failed attacks, a group of government troops decided to charge the Métis front line. The Métis militia numbered only 50 to 60 men at this point. They soon ran out of ammunition and had to retreat. On May 15, Riel surrendered. He believed that a public trial might bring attention to the Métis’ struggle against the government. Dumont and others escaped to the United States. With the defeat at Batoche and Riel’s surrender, the Northwest Resistance was over.

The Capture of Batoche, shows a scene from the Battle of Batoche between government troops and the Métis. The four-day battle took place at Batoche, in present-day Saskatchewan.

Defending Riel

Following his arrest, Riel was placed in a Regina jail for eight weeks. On July 20, 1885, Riel’s trial began. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of treason. Examine the picture below which is a photo of Riel on trial in the courtroom. What information about the trial can you gather from the photo?

Initially, the trial was to be held in Winnipeg, but it was moved to Regina. At the time, Winnipeg had a larger Métis population than Regina. The government was worried a Winnipeg jury would be made up of people supportive of Riel. In Regina, the final jury was made up of English-speaking Protestants. Only one of the jurors spoke French, Riel’s first language.

Riel’s lawyers planned to portray Riel as insane so that he could not be held responsible for his actions. Riel refused to go along with their strategy. He felt that if he was declared insane, the Métis cause would not be recognized properly. Read the quote from Riel during his 1885 trial. How did Riel defend himself?

Riel's Sentencing

After a four-day trial, the jury found Riel guilty of treason, but recommended mercy, which surprised many. Riel’s last chance lay in an appeal, or request, to the federal government. Only the federal government could reverse his sentence. As newspapers across the country expressed opinions on what Riel’s sentence should be, many Canadians began to take sides. Some people saw him as a guilty traitor to Canada. Others saw Riel as a heroic defender of French and Catholic rights. If Prime Minister Macdonald freed Riel, he would offend English Canada. If he punished Riel harshly, he would lose Québec’s support. The picture below is a cartoon showing Macdonald’s difficult decision. What does the cartoon tell you about Macdonald’s position? In the end, Macdonald and his cabinet decided to hang Riel. Riel was executed on November 16, 1885.

This political cartoon from 1885 by J.W. Bengough shows the different reactions of English and French politicians to Riel’s sentence. Macdonald is shown holding Riel in a birdcage.

For weeks after the trial, the Canadian public debated Riel’s death sentence. In Québec, the politicians stirred up the anger of the French and Catholic population over Riel’s sentence. After Riel was hanged, crowds gathered to protest the federal government’s actions. Riel was seen in Québec not as a defender of the Métis, but as the defender of Catholic Francophones. The anger of many French Canadians was so fierce that the news of their demonstrations was reported internationally. Even to this day, the decision to execute Riel is controversial.

Reflection Question

Do you think Macdonald made the right decision to execute Riel? Why, and why not?

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