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Biography of Louis Riel, 1844-1885

Born in 1844, Louis Riel was the eldest son of a prominent St. Boniface Métis family. At 14, he was sent to Montreal to train for priesthood.

The Story of Louis Riel: Excerpts from a Comic-Strip Biography

By 1868, he had left school and was back in St. Boniface supporting his recently widowed mother and siblings.

Riel found the Red River Métis distressed by Canada’s plans to annex Hudson’s Bay Company lands. They feared losing traditional lands and livelihoods. An 1869 land survey by the Government of Canada stirred Riel into action.

He formed a militia, turned back surveyors, took possession of Upper Fort Garry and began the Red River Resistance.

During the winter of 1869-1870, Riel, just 25 years old, formed a provisional government and presented Canada with a Bill of Rights that, on May 12, became the Manitoba Act, 1870. Riel’s provisional government approved it on June 24 and the act came into effect on July 15.

Unfortunately, while his provisional government negotia A Biography of Louis Riel - University of Missouri–Kansas City HETO