Councilors of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation
Photograph
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Video
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Activities
LOOK
Look closely at this photograph and complete the following statements:
- I see … [what do you see in the photo?]
- I think … [what do you think is happening in the photo?]
- I wonder … [what questions do you have about the photo?]
LOOK
Look closely at this photograph. Who do you think is the most important person in the picture? Why did you make that choice? Read the historical context below to find out who he is.
LOOK
Who do you think these men are? Are they farmers? Family members? What context clues can you find in the photograph? Read the historical context below to verify your answer.
THINK
Compare this photograph with the one of the Fathers of Confederation. What similarities and differences do you notice?
THINK
The Métis were a group who fought hard to make their voices heard at the time of Confederation. Which other groups did the Fathers of Confederation aim to exclude from the negotiations or debates leading up to Confederation?
DO
Do some external research to find out what happened to Louis Riel and the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation after the Manitoba Act was passed.
Details
Date 1870
Materials - Photograph
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation.
- After Confederation, the Métis resisted the Canadian government’s plans to take their homelands in order to build a railway and introduce large-scale settlement.
- The Provisional Government of the Métis sent Ottawa a List of Rights, which led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, whereby Manitoba became the fifth province to join Confederation.
After Canada became a dominion in 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald and the federal government wanted to expand westward, and planned a transcontinental railway that would run from east to west. In 1870, the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company, without negotiating with local Métis or First Nations communities.
The Métis resisted the takeover of their homelands until the federal government agreed to negotiate. The Provisional Government of the Métis drafted a List of Rights that was sent to Ottawa. This led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, which met most Métis demands and created the Province of Manitoba, the fifth province to join Confederation. The Métis had negotiated a place for themselves in Confederation.
However, increased settler populations in Manitoba threatened Métis culture and way of life. Most Métis were pushed farther west into the Qu’Appelle and Saskatchewan River valleys, where they joined existing Métis communities or founded new ones.
Tensions between the Métis and newcomers continued to grow during these years, culminating in the North-West Resistance (or North-West Rebellion) of 1885.
This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation in 1870.
Indigenous peoples of northern North America had negotiated nation-to-nation treaties with the Crown since the mid-1700s, and yet they were not invited to participate in the Charlottetown, Québec and London Conferences. Indigenous peoples did, nevertheless, play a central role in the evolution of Canadian Confederation.
After Canada became a dominion in 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald and the federal government wanted to expand westward, and envisioned a transcontinental railway connecting the Dominion from coast to coast. In 1870, the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company, without negotiating with local Métis or First Nations communities.
Determined to keep their homelands and their way of life, the Métis resisted the takeover of their homelands until the federal government agreed to negotiate with them. The Provisional Government of the Métis (formed in fall 1869 under Louis Riel) drafted a List of Rights that was sent to Ottawa. This led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, which met most Métis demands and created the province of Manitoba — the fifth province to join Confederation. The Act stated that French and English would be the official languages, Catholic and Protestant schools would receive public funding, and the Métis would receive title to the lands they occupied, as well as 1.4 million acres for their children.
But the provisional government was not accepted by everyone, particularly Protestant anglophone settlers from Ontario, whose population was increasing in the area. Manitoba lost two-thirds of its Métis population over the following decade, as newcomers threatened Métis culture and land rights. Most Métis were pushed farther west into the Qu’Appelle and Saskatchewan River valleys, where they joined existing Métis communities or founded new ones.
Tensions between the Métis and newcomers continued to grow during these years, culminating in the North-West Resistance (or North-West Rebellion) of 1885.
This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation in 1870.
- This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation.
- After Confederation, the Métis resisted the Canadian government’s plans to take their homelands in order to build a railway and introduce large-scale settlement.
- The Provisional Government of the Métis sent Ottawa a List of Rights, which led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, whereby Manitoba became the fifth province to join Confederation.
After Canada became a dominion in 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald and the federal government wanted to expand westward, and planned a transcontinental railway that would run from east to west. In 1870, the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company, without negotiating with local Métis or First Nations communities.
The Métis resisted the takeover of their homelands until the federal government agreed to negotiate. The Provisional Government of the Métis drafted a List of Rights that was sent to Ottawa. This led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, which met most Métis demands and created the Province of Manitoba, the fifth province to join Confederation. The Métis had negotiated a place for themselves in Confederation.
However, increased settler populations in Manitoba threatened Métis culture and way of life. Most Métis were pushed farther west into the Qu’Appelle and Saskatchewan River valleys, where they joined existing Métis communities or founded new ones.
Tensions between the Métis and newcomers continued to grow during these years, culminating in the North-West Resistance (or North-West Rebellion) of 1885.
This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation in 1870.
Indigenous peoples of northern North America had negotiated nation-to-nation treaties with the Crown since the mid-1700s, and yet they were not invited to participate in the Charlottetown, Québec and London Conferences. Indigenous peoples did, nevertheless, play a central role in the evolution of Canadian Confederation.
After Canada became a dominion in 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald and the federal government wanted to expand westward, and envisioned a transcontinental railway connecting the Dominion from coast to coast. In 1870, the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company, without negotiating with local Métis or First Nations communities.
Determined to keep their homelands and their way of life, the Métis resisted the takeover of their homelands until the federal government agreed to negotiate with them. The Provisional Government of the Métis (formed in fall 1869 under Louis Riel) drafted a List of Rights that was sent to Ottawa. This led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, which met most Métis demands and created the province of Manitoba — the fifth province to join Confederation. The Act stated that French and English would be the official languages, Catholic and Protestant schools would receive public funding, and the Métis would receive title to the lands they occupied, as well as 1.4 million acres for their children.
But the provisional government was not accepted by everyone, particularly Protestant anglophone settlers from Ontario, whose population was increasing in the area. Manitoba lost two-thirds of its Métis population over the following decade, as newcomers threatened Métis culture and land rights. Most Métis were pushed farther west into the Qu’Appelle and Saskatchewan River valleys, where they joined existing Métis communities or founded new ones.
Tensions between the Métis and newcomers continued to grow during these years, culminating in the North-West Resistance (or North-West Rebellion) of 1885.
This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation in 1870.
Summary
- This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation.
- After Confederation, the Métis resisted the Canadian government’s plans to take their homelands in order to build a railway and introduce large-scale settlement.
- The Provisional Government of the Métis sent Ottawa a List of Rights, which led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, whereby Manitoba became the fifth province to join Confederation.
Essential
After Canada became a dominion in 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald and the federal government wanted to expand westward, and planned a transcontinental railway that would run from east to west. In 1870, the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company, without negotiating with local Métis or First Nations communities.
The Métis resisted the takeover of their homelands until the federal government agreed to negotiate. The Provisional Government of the Métis drafted a List of Rights that was sent to Ottawa. This led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, which met most Métis demands and created the Province of Manitoba, the fifth province to join Confederation. The Métis had negotiated a place for themselves in Confederation.
However, increased settler populations in Manitoba threatened Métis culture and way of life. Most Métis were pushed farther west into the Qu’Appelle and Saskatchewan River valleys, where they joined existing Métis communities or founded new ones.
Tensions between the Métis and newcomers continued to grow during these years, culminating in the North-West Resistance (or North-West Rebellion) of 1885.
This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation in 1870.
In-Depth
Indigenous peoples of northern North America had negotiated nation-to-nation treaties with the Crown since the mid-1700s, and yet they were not invited to participate in the Charlottetown, Québec and London Conferences. Indigenous peoples did, nevertheless, play a central role in the evolution of Canadian Confederation.
After Canada became a dominion in 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald and the federal government wanted to expand westward, and envisioned a transcontinental railway connecting the Dominion from coast to coast. In 1870, the Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company, without negotiating with local Métis or First Nations communities.
Determined to keep their homelands and their way of life, the Métis resisted the takeover of their homelands until the federal government agreed to negotiate with them. The Provisional Government of the Métis (formed in fall 1869 under Louis Riel) drafted a List of Rights that was sent to Ottawa. This led to the Manitoba Act of 1870, which met most Métis demands and created the province of Manitoba — the fifth province to join Confederation. The Act stated that French and English would be the official languages, Catholic and Protestant schools would receive public funding, and the Métis would receive title to the lands they occupied, as well as 1.4 million acres for their children.
But the provisional government was not accepted by everyone, particularly Protestant anglophone settlers from Ontario, whose population was increasing in the area. Manitoba lost two-thirds of its Métis population over the following decade, as newcomers threatened Métis culture and land rights. Most Métis were pushed farther west into the Qu’Appelle and Saskatchewan River valleys, where they joined existing Métis communities or founded new ones.
Tensions between the Métis and newcomers continued to grow during these years, culminating in the North-West Resistance (or North-West Rebellion) of 1885.
This photograph shows Louis Riel (centre) and members of the Provisional Government of the Métis Nation in 1870.