Riel acknowledgement called reconciliation milestone

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This article was published 23/11/2023 (655 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Academics, educators and historians applauded the introduction of the Louis Riel Act Thursday and described the effort to recognize the Métis leader as Manitoba’s honorary first premier as an act of reconciliation.

“It’s a symbolic acknowledgement of Manitoba’s Indigenous roots, as well as a recognition of the role that Indigenous leaders such as Riel played in the making of Manitoba,” said Sean Carleton, assistant professor in the University of Manitoba department of history and Indigenous studies.

“These kind of commemorations and acts of honouring are a normal and natural process of the way in which societies determine what is important, and set the priorities for encouraging and inspiring people to think of what is possible.”

Carleton noted the legislation marks a substantial step forward in the government’s promise to recognize and engage Indigenous people in the political process — something he said previous governments had overlooked.

“(Riel) represents, in many ways, Indigenous peoples’ resistance to an unchecked Canadian colonization of Western Canada… We need to understand that as non-Indigenous people took control of the political process, they also found ways to bar Indigenous people from that political process,” he said.

“There’s a lot of hope being built into this. It’s about acknowledging those more complicated roots and figuring out how that understanding can shape all the ways Manitobans move forward in this era of truth and reconciliation.”

Speaking to a crowd at the legislative building, Premier Wab Kinew noted once the bill passes, it’s expected educators must teach the entire story of Riel.

Teachers, particularly those who oversee history and social studies, have been watching closely since Kinew reaffirmed his intention to table the bill last month, said Kevin Lopuck, a member of the Manitoba Social Sciences Association.

While Riel’s contributions to Manitoba are already included in school curriculum in Grades 5, 6 and 11, the title will provide new opportunities to discuss his ongoing influence, Lopuck said.

During his 23-year career, the Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School teacher has witnessed several changes to how educators discuss Métis history — from changes in language, to the recognition of Louis Riel Day as an annual statutory holiday, he said.

“We reflect on the past to understand the present and look ahead to the future,” he said. “History is not stagnant, it’s alive, and today’s announcement proves that.”

In 2021, the Manitoba Museum launched an exhibit dedicated to Riel. Once he is bestowed with the honorary title, it will mark a new chapter in the display, which explores how his legacy has changed over time, said history curator Roland Sawatzky.

“This is something we could add to the exhibit. Museums typically don’t move that quickly in reinterpreting… but with something like this, this is something we could fairly quickly add,” he said.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights also features Riel in a gallery display that describes him as a founder of Manitoba. The museum does not plan to make any changes based on the honorary designation, but would be open to discussions with the Métis community, a spokesperson said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca