Louis Riel

Luis Riel, champion of the Métis nation

My hero is Louis Riel because he always thought of his people before himself. Louis Riel was born on October 22, 1844 in St. Boniface, Manitoba. He attended College in Montreal in 1858. He would stop at nothing to get his people’s rights. He was part of the Métis nation, and he was tired of the Canadian government bullying his people around, treating them unequally and taking more and more land from them each year. Louis Riel decided to take action.

Louis founded the Comite National des Métis. He also helped start the Red River Uprising, and when the Canadian government found out, they exiled him to the United States.

He was more determined that ever to fight for the Métis have their own rights and to be treated equally. So, he set up a provisional government and got caught in the 1885 rebellion. When the Canadian Government heard of this, they replied with military force. To still keep standing up for your rights, even when there is military farce, you have got to be really brave. Louis Riel surrendered. But he kept on going.

Over the years that Louis fought, people were curious. Who was this man? Was he really this crazy to keep going on, even though his life was in danger? Very soon, the name “Father of Manitoba” found its way toward Louis.

Riel returned to what is now the modern province of Saskatchewan, to tell the Canadian government about what they have been doing to his people. The Canadian Government had not ended his arrest and trial and his execution for treason. His penalty was to be hanged. Louis was sentenced to be hung on September 18. The Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench affirmed the original sentence on September 2. The Execution was postponed until October 16.

You would probably be thinking now: Well, he’s just going to die and everything will be back to normal again. Wrong. Louis Riel had an amazing life. He married in 1881 when he was exiled in Montana and was the father of 3 children. He stood up for his people and kept on fighting, yes; this man had an extraordinary life. And it was soon going to be over.

The execution date was yet postponed again to the 16th of November, because he was experiencing mental problems. The tests stated that he wasn’t mentally insane.

While Louis was awaiting death, he received a visit from his family and he wrote his will. During the night of the 15th and the early hours of the 16th, he wrote one last letter to his mother and received his last rites. At 8:00am, he climbed the stairs to the scaffold for his execution. Minutes later, he was dead.

The Canadian government decided to listen to Louis’ people, and they ended up giving back some land, and treating the Métis equally.

Louis Riel is my hero because he was an amazing person and he also taught me a lesson: Go for your dreams, and never give up, even if you have to end up fighting for it.