Louis Riel as a Canadian Hero Essay Example

Every nation has its own heroes, the people who are admired and honored for their great lifetime achievements. Dating back through the course of history, people have been idolized as heroes and abashed as villains. In Western Canada in 1870, Indigenous and Métis people were accustomed to a semi-nomadic lifestyle, and many found it difficult to give up their freedom and way of life to new settlers. The Canadian government came in with an iron first with attempts to take awau Métis land and culture, appearing unsympathetic to their people's cries for help. Louis Riel, who led the Métis people through their resistance against the government in the Canadian northwest, is arguably the most controversial Canadian historical figure. He was hanged for treason on November 16, 1885, but was he a true villain? Louis Riel’s fight for Metis rights, and his use of diplomacy and self sacrifice affirms his status as a true Canadian hero. 

Louis Riel should be remembered as a Canadian hero as he continuously fought for aboriginal peoples, specifically the Métis rights. First, Riel was the founder of the Manitoba Act, which admitted Manitoba as Canada’s fifth province and was royally assented on May 12,1870. When Ruperts Land was purchased by Canada in 1870, Riel was able to fight and keep protections of land and culture for the region’s Metis. Through his fight for the Metis voice during this time,  1,400,000 acres of land were kept aside for them (Scott, Jeff, February 7, 2006). During this historic period, Riel witnessed the damaging treatment from the Canadian government towards Indigenous peoples. When Riel saw them coming to rule over the Red River Colony, he knew he needed to fight to make sure this injustice didn’t happen to his people. From this, we can see that Riel was a strong fighter for the Metis, and fought for their rights through situations threatening their rights and culture. This showed the continued heroism and dedication embodied by Riel. Secondly, even when Riel was settled and married in Montana, he quickly came back to Canada to fight for his people when asked by Gabriel Dumount, another Metis leader. In 1884, the Metis in the Saskatchewan Valley wanted their legal rights to be protected, as they felt their land was being threatened, and that their settlements weren’t being reached by the new CPR (Stanley, George, April 22, 2013). When Riel heard of this unjust treatment against his people, he was quick to leave his settled life to voice their concerns and help his people. This showed his true dedication, as despite the comfort and promise of a new family life in Montana, no matter what, Riel was quick to come back and fight for the Metis rights. Riel was clearly a strong supporter of the Métis people and his constant fight for their right to freedom, land ownership, and independence from Canada's Dominion Government confirmed his undeniable heroic qualities. 

A second reason why Louis Riel should be remembered as a Canadian hero is because he supported the Métis and other Indigenous communities through peaceful diplomatic acts. A significant example is when Riel identified there was no longer any input towards the Canadian government to negotiate with Métis as it had done in 1870. This sparked Riel to form the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan which was called the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (Bumsted, John Michael, August 11, 2021). Because of this act, Riel was able to publicly represent his people in his attempt to create equality in the eyes of the public. With the ongoing list of grievances Riel had with the government, a Rebellion would have been the natural reaction. Instead, being the diplomatic leader Riel was, he knew could voice his opinions more peacefully. Only someone with outstanding leadership qualities and true integrity would be able to pull this off. Another peaceful attempt for change made by Louis Riel was the Bill of RIghts. When Riel returned from his exile in 1884, his first course of action was to the Métis, half-blood farmers, and prairie natives and see their requests and grievances which would then be turned into a government presented Bill of Rights (Stanley, George, April 22, 2013). This revolutionary Bill of Rights called for land titles for Métis families, province recognition for Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba, and improved treatment for Indigenous peoples (Stanley, George, April 22, 2013). This showed both true heroism and diplomacy from Riel, as he always put his people first. Riel knew the first attempt in achieving change is best when done peacefully. Instead of resorting to violence, Louis Riel tended to opt for a more diplomatic approach to voicing his concerns, showing his strategic ways and incredible knowledge.

A true heroic moment for Louis Riel was sacrificing himself to provide the Metis political voice. In 1885, Riel was charged for treason due to the killing of Thomas Scott. When he was apprehended, he refused to plead guilty due to insanity, which could have saved his life. Then, his negative actions would be overlooked due to the fact of insanity (Newman, Peter, April 12 1999). Riel was heavily against this with the fear of making the Metis pleas to the government be viewed as insane as well. With this in mind he made a speech proving his sanity which then led him to be hanged in North-West Mounted Police barracks in Regina. His self-execution showed he was a heroic rebel who fought to protect his people no matter what, and proved that the metis had been abused and provoked into revolt until his last breath. Another reason his self-execution was so significant, was that the execution of Louis Riel has left an indelible mark on Canadian history, both politically and spiritually. The political impact from Riel's hanging invigorated French Canadian nationalism in Central Canada, bringing Honoré Mercier to power in Quebec in 1886 on a platform that appealed to the emotions sparked by Riel's execution (Newman, Peter, April 12 1999). Riel’s death also caused a fundamental shift in Quebec voting trends, moving the province’s traditional support of the Conservative Party to the Liberal Party led by Wilfrid Laurier (Newman, Peter, April 12 1999). Spiritually, following Riel's execution, the Métis people hailed him as a martyr and his death was seen as “a stain on the honor of Canada” - Paul Chartrand. Louis Riel’s execution not only created a meaningful impact for his people but more generally the nation of Canada. It shows true heroic qualities that even the peoples who hated Riel, were able to see his point of view and recognize him as a hero. Calling Riel selfless in an understatement, as we can see by giving himself up to fight for his people shows true heroism and a fight for justice. 

Louis Riel should be established as a true Canadian hero because of his constant fight for the Metis, as well as his use of diplomacy and self-sacrifice. Firstly, Riel persistently fought for Metis rights, even when personal risk was involved. Additionally, he fought with diplomacy when he saw fit, reserving violence as the last resort. Finally, even with Riel's life on the line he continued to fight and support his people. Although we saw many heroes through the course of history, it was the personal-sacrifice of some that set them apart.