Louis Riel, con't

During the 1850's, the Métis had succeeded in breaking the fur trade monopoly that the company had held until then. The HBC had been forced to concede a political role in governing the settlement and certain property rights to the Métis. The years between 1850 and 1860 marked the end of the old way of life in the northwest. Before 1849, changes in the settlement had occurred because of internal events, but after 1850 they would be the result of external factors, centred around Canadian and American politics.

With its east-west axis of development, Canada was inevitably bound to come into contact with Métis society. The first clash occurred in 1857 when the Dawson-Hind exploration expedition arrived to study the land. The expedition recommended that the Canadian Government acquire the arable part of the company's land. At the same time, an annexationist movement in the United States threatened future occupation of the territories. Canada could not count on any military action to thwart this movement and the company did not have any force at its disposal to ward off this threat. The only remaining alternative was annexation of the Northwest Territories by Canada. In 1869, a unique opportunity presented itself, for the Hudson's Bay Company agreed to sell this territory to Canada. It was at this point that Louis Riel returned to the settlement he had not seen for ten years.

Many changes had taken place in the settlement since Louis Riel's departure. With the arrival of numerous settlers from Ontario, Fort Garry had become an active commercial centre. For economic and political reasons, these Canadians were in favour of the annexation of Red River to Canada. However, the Métis felt resentful as they saw the area's future being decided without them, in spite of their large numbers. Meanwhile the Canadians were opposed to the company's authority, and the Métis were worried about the future under the Canadian Government. They were afraid the country would be invaded by people from Ontario and that this would create a problem for the Métis, because the newcomers would be English-speaking Protestants, not French-speaking Catholics. In addition to the problems of language and religion, they were justifiably afraid of losing their lands, for most of the Métis were squatters or settlers without title.

During the summer of 1869, the Canadian Government sent John Stoughton Dennis to Red River to survey the land. He was so badly received by the Métis that he started surveying at Oak Point rather than Fort Garry. To add to the Métis anxiety, the survey was being carried out in accordance with the Ontario style of survey, in squares, instead of the system of long, narrow lots with river frontage used by the Métis. The new system cut across properties already in existence. Moreover, surveying had begun before the land had been officially transferred to Canada. When Dennis arrived in Fort Garry on October 11, 1869, eighteen Métis led by Louis Riel stopped a crew of surveyors on the property of Louis' cousin, Andre Nault, and proclaimed that the Canadian Government had no right to act without permission. This was a very important incident, because it was the first act of resistance to the transfer of the settlement to Canada and, because it established Louis Riel as the champion of the Métis.

In October, William McDougall, who had been appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Rupert's Land, set out for Red River to take possession of the Northwest Territory for Canada, accompanied by a ready-made government and armed with 300 rifles. When news of this reached the Métis, they decided to organize their resistance. On October 16, Riel was elected Secretary of the Métis "National Committee" and John Bruce was elected president. Five days later, the Committee sent a warning to McDougall advising him not to enter the country without special permission from the Committee. To strengthen their position, the Métis erected a barricade where the trail from Pembina crossed the La Salle River, a place McDougall had to pass. Riel's initiative raised opposition from the conservative wing in the settlement and those in administrative positions. As a result of pressure exerted by them Riel was summoned to appear before the Council of Assiniboia, chaired by Judge Black who was replacing the ailing outgoing Governor Mactavish. Riel let it be known that he was opposed to McDougall's arrival and invited the English group to join him. He stressed that he remained faithful to the British Crown but that he objected to the unlawful entry into the west of the Canadian Government. He believed that the west should have the right to negotiate its own terms of entry into Confederatio

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