Louis Riel was a Hero view point
A folk hero to Catholic Nationalists, Francophones, and many others, there is no reason why this man is considered a national hero in Canadian history. “Who is this man?” You might ask, and to you I say: “Why he is Louis Riel, and he is the Father of Manitoba!” Most notably, he was most known for leading the two resistances, Red River and Northwest, against the Canadian government which, had he not lead them or if the rebellions did not happen, we may not see, or be in the Canada in which we live in today.
Louis Riel is the father of Manitoba because of many reasons, but the most significant reason was that he lead two rebellion/resistance movements against the Canadian government. Although the two rebellion were mainly fought over Metis rights and culture, the first rebellion (Red River Rebellion) was fought over the the large amount of land being transferred from the Hudson's Bay Company to Canada, which the Metis feared of having their rights and land under Canadian control. But post rebellion (when the rebels lost), the Manitoba act was signed and created Manitoba. But if Louis Riel did not rebel, that would mean no Manitoba or even no modern day Canada.
The second rebellion (the Northwest Rebellion) was started by attacking surveyors who surveyed the land that would end up being divided into a square concession system. This put the Metis on edge because they had already settled using the seigneurial system. The rebellion escalated to the point of which the Canadian government had to send in troops via the CPR to fight the rebels. After the rebellion had ended, which ended in a rebel loss, Louis Riel was hung. But despite these losses, without the rebellions, the CPR may not have been used, which would’ve create less support for it, then the CPR never being completed, which would lead to an ununified Canada.
In the end, Louis Riel is a national hero, because he was responsible for creating Manitoba, and if he had not been involved in some events, we may not be in the same Canada we are in today.
