Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Let Riel rest in peace
Louis Riel (DOMINION INSTITUTE)
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Winnipeg MP Pat Martin says Metis leader Louis Riel was wrongfully convicted for treason 124 years ago in Regina, where he was hanged by the neck until dead. Mr. Martin (NDP) is thus demanding that Riel's case be treated like all wrongful convictions. He wants his record cleared and his good name restored.
The validity of Riel's trial for the events known as the Northwest Rebellion was challenged at the time by the Metis and French-Canadians, who regarded his execution as victors' justice. As time passed, other arguments were advanced to show the trial was unfair, including the view that Riel was insane, or that the inexperienced government in Ottawa had caused the violence by ignoring the real grievances of the Metis, who were justified in defending themselves. The government should have known, for example, that cornered animals (and men) fight viciously when survival is at stake.
It was also alleged that the court had no jurisdiction because Riel was an American citizen.
The question of exonerating Riel was not given much consideration until the 1990s when various MPs launched appeals for justice and mercy. Mr. Martin has been pleading Riel's case for at least five years, but he is no further ahead today than any of his well-meaning predecessors.
Mr. Martin forgets that history has already reversed the verdict of the trial in Regina. Riel is today a national hero. New Canadians, for example, are taught that "Riel is seen by many as a hero, a defender of Métis rights, and the father of Manitoba." Schools, streets and holidays have been named in his honour, and a statue occupies a prominent place near the Manitoba Legislative Building.
Moreover, former prime minister Paul Martin recognized the Metis as a nation in 2004, and he acknowledged the role Riel played in the development of Canada as a nation based on respect for human rights.
None of these accolades, however, alters the fact that Riel is an evolving figure in Canadian historiography. Many still believe, for example, that he was justly tried for the violence he perpetrated in Saskatchewan and in the Red River colony in 1869, when he ordered the execution of Thomas Scott.
New information and new interpretations of Riel's role and legacy guarantee that he will always be a controversial figure.
Meanwhile, Riel, who did not have much peace in life, is unlikely to rest in peace, either.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 18, 2009 A12
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