Louis Riel and the Metis force in Canada

When describing Canada, one group that is often overlooked, is the Metis but they formed an historical foundation for the country.  When North America was initially commercially exploited it included fur traders originating primarily from France, England and Scotland.  Inevitably the Europeans were aided by indigenous people.  European women were not encouraged to enter the wilderness so before long the European men formed relations with indigenous women and half breeds resulted, later termed Metis.  They were logical middle men between the Europeans and the various indigenous tribes.  The women were a critical part of the transactions.

Some baggage I carry.  Reading about the Metis and Louis Riel it is obvious there was a lot of strife and racism.  Doing the family tree I realized that both of my grandparents were members of the Orange Lodge, who weren't necessarily violent, but definitely anti-Catholic.

 I was aware that my one grandmother had a nephew visit her fairly often even when we moved from Oshawa to Haliburton.  He was the son of a brother who had lived in Manitoba.  At one time my grandmother had gotten tired of her boyfriend not willing to get married so she went out to visit her two brothers.  The strategy seemed to work as she came back and got married.  My father, an only child was born when she was 44 and must have seemed a miracle.  Reading the history of Manitoba I realize the two brothers had to have moved there likely in the late 1800's or early 1900's, probably supplanting Metis and natives.  The nephew, Bruce Clark was a little older than my father and during the Depression was sent to work with my grandfather-Bruce had a son, Ted, my second cousin, and I socialized a bit with him.   He was a grade or two above me at the same high school and was a social leader, a likeable guy for sure.  I learned that the Davidsons and Clarks shared gravesites in Oshawa.

John A MacDonald, the man credited with Canadian Confederation carried a lot of baggage, similar to many living at that time.  Born in Scotland he wanted to stop America trying to take over British North America.  After Confederation he became conscious that American settlers were expanding to what was then northwestern Canada.  To stop this he sent settlers and military to the same area.  The Metis and indigenous were already there and feeling forced from their life style.  MacDonald felt the British was the model and others needed to be blended in.  He encouraged the residential schools to turn indigenous children to English children.  He needed Chinese to build the CPR, but imposed a Chinese head tax.  Without his efforts it is possible that Americans would gradually have gained control.

Louis Riel was born in 1844 in the Red River Colony, near present day Winnipeg, Manitoba.  At age 14 he had been identified as not only above average intelligence, but also faithful and was sent to Montreal to train for the priesthood.  He left after his father's death and traveled in America.  He had been rejected by the father of a woman he had formed a relationship with which affected him deeply..

By 1868 troubles were stirring in Red River and Riel's mother asked him to return.  After Confederation, surveyors moved in and the Metis found Ottawa was not recognizing their property rights.  The Government surveyers put lots in a square format whereas the Metis  used a seigneurial system that had long lots that ended by  a river.  John A. MacDonald appointed the anti-French William McDougall as Lieutenant-Governor for the North West Territory. 

Riel was a passionate and eloquent speaker.  He was recognized as a leader and chosen to represent Metis interests.  Important to note, that he was initially supported by the priests in the Red River area.  Riel's group representing a provisional government blocked McDougall and forced him into exile.  In 1870 he led a group of Metis supporters including some English settlers to take over Fort Garry and imprison those opposed.  Orange Lodge members were prominent and  vociferous.  Thomas Scott and Charles Boulton were two of the many that escaped and were re-captured.   Boulton was condemned to be executed, but upon an appeal was pardoned by Riel.

Thomas Scott decides to issue some very harsh criticism and although nothing he did was a capital offense he was  condemned to execution and this time Riel was not willing to pardon.  To me this seems the result of insensitivity to insults and threats and would haunt future efforts.  There was a real threat to stop the Metis movement.

Proving sometimes violence does pay off, less than two months later after direct talks between John A. MacDonald and Metis negotiators, Manitoba is made a province and admitted into Confederation.  No guarantee of amnesty for Riel or his supporters.  An army expedition to the Northwest to quell American expansionism also quells the Metis.  Riel flees and is soon officially exiled.  Riel while in exile is elected to Parliament three times, but is unable to take his seat in Parliament.   

While Riel was in the States the strife moved to what became Saskatchewan and Gabriel Dumont invited him to boost resistance.  MacDonald, back in power after a major scandal was determined to complete the railroad and the Metis appeared an obstacle.  This time the priests were against Riel.  There were a number of battles and the Metis were subdued and Riel captured.

There were many who wanted to see Riel executed, including MacDonald.  Two defences were pointed out first that Riel was by now an American citizen, so couldn't be treasonous or secondly that he was insane.  He felt he was a Canadian so would not use the citizenship excuse.  There were many legitimate instances that supported the insanity claims such as acknowledged religious hallucinations.  Although aware that if determined guilty he would be executed, he conceded he might be considered insane he also rejected this excuse.  The judge and jury were stacked and although France, United States and England urged mercy and Quebec had many supporters, Riel was hung.

What is his legacy?  Today there are over 300,000 Metis enrolled across Canada plus others who self identify.  Manitoba had its first Metis Premier, John Norquay back in 1874 and presently have Wab Kinew as their first Ojibway premier.  The French Metis have maintained much of their unique culture, but the English and Scottish Metis have been blended more.  They certainly were critical for how Canada has developed and the rest of us need to remember that.

I am not comfortable with how Riel and the Metis were presented to me in elementary and primary grades.  There has likely been some improvements and more Canadians better understand how the Metis have contributed to our culture and national strength.

To close, I would quote the author Joseph Boyden (himself a Metis):  "Progress in all its forms should serve us and not it."

The Bill of Obligations

Everyone seems to have a concept of rights.  Rights are fundamental, but too often they clash.  Obligations cannot be enforced, but can hold a nation together.  The author rather than just offering a list of obligations wants to stimulate discussion.  The concepts are not all unique, but are worthy of action,

A quote from the author, "The most urgent and significant threat to American security and stability stems not from abroad but from within, from political divisions that for only the second time in U.S. history have raised questions about the future of American democracy and even the United States itself".

Rights are too often in conflict, for instance, the rights of the unborn baby against reproductive rights.  Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court Justice claims that "...the most difficult cases are not right vs. wrong, but right vs. right".

The U.S. Constitution has built a tyranny of the minority through the Electoral College that allows small states disproportionate power that affects all sorts of issues.  Before setting out his bill of obligations, Haass draws our attention to inequality which is most serious with regard to economic opportunity.

The first obligation is to be informed.  Barrack Obama stated "This democracy doesn't work if we don't have an informed citizenry".  Seek credible information.  He suggests ways to keep informed and to understand the historical background.  PBS, NPR and newspapers with a good reputation help us to learn facts.  We need to be aware of misinformation so it is important to use more than one source. 

The second obligation is to get involved.  Voting is critical and learning back to the first obligation getting informed makes your vote more potent.  Corporations have been instrumental in many positive efforts.  To support democracy they could offer employees time off to vote, with-hold advertising from media that spread misinformation and of course where they donate their money.  Consumers can help steer these efforts.

The third obligation is to be open to compromise.  Compromise has become a dirty word in many circles and can be risky.  On the other hand negotiating compromises is an effective way of overcoming conflicts.

The fourth obligation is to remain civil.  Civility reduces the likelihood of violence.  Questioning motives or belligerent insults can inflame emotions.  Congressional members in recent years have tended to spend less time in Washington and thus cut down interaction with their opposition.

The fifth obligation is to reject violence .  The government is supposed to have an almost monopoly on violence.  Some feel violence is justified against a repressive government.  Civil Disobedience may have been initiated by Henry David Thoreau who refused to pay some taxes and allowed himself to be jailed as a protest against slavery and the Mexican-American War.  Other leaders such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. found non violent protests could be effective to make sweeping political changes.  Showing restraint against provocative actions demonstrates a resolve that attracts attention and breaks down barriers.

From an earlier blog;  Satyaha is a word coined by Gandhi shaming some one by setting a moral example.  Protesting was done assuming the participants would be beaten.  I can appreciate it takes more courage than attacking someone even as you realize they might attack back.  Gandhi was not a pacifist, he was very proactive.

Richard Haass feels the January 6 insurrection should not just be attributed to those doing the violence, but also to those who encouraged it. 

The sixth obligation is to value norms.  Obeying laws is necessary for an orderly society.  Accepting election results (there are legal ways to protect against election abuses) is critical.  Winners must be seen as legitimate.  A norm that was violated was when Trump refused to release his tax returns.  It could be argued that the practice is an invasion of privacy, but voters need to know if there are conflicts and if there are any issues of character.  After all the voters will be granting power over them to a candidate.

The seventh obligation is to promote the common good.  We have all a stake in the well being of our fellow citizens.  John Donne:  "No man is an island entire of itself' every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main".  A more modern quote comes from Martin Luther King Jr., "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny.  Whatever affects are directly (felt) affects all indirectly".

An anonymous quote, "Your right to swing your arm ends where the other person's nose begins".  I would expand that there are many ways to harm an individual such as a bullet, fraud or a sneeze.  Here in Canada we had to deal with the Freedom Convoy who were adamant that vaccinations were harmful to them and reflect a restricition on their freedom.   People died as consequence of their message.  Going back a few years cigarette smoke was identified as harmful to the individual smoking and soon second hand smoke was revealed as harmful to non smokers.  Laws have enacted to restrict smoking from many public places. prolonging countless lives. 

Other examples come from driving where laws have restricted speed and coerced us to obey traffic lights.  Most can understand that otherwise we would have more (fatal) accidents.  Legislating seat belts was resisted with the thought only the driver would be affected.  Not only is control lessened without a seat belt, accidents would affect passengers and other people hit by an uncontrolled car.  The death of anyone causes extra expense that affects car insurance and productivity of those affected.  

Other issues deal with the lack of equal opportunities mean the most qualified are not positioned to help the rest of us.  Inheritance taxes are one way of evening opportunities for all our benefit.  The government chosen by the voters has responsibility for all its citizens.

The eighth obligation is to respect government service.  Ronald Reagan put forth the idea that it is the government that should be feared.  There is a lot of mistrust (some perhaps deserved) of voters and the government.  But we need to realize that the government is the entity that protects us whether from criminals or foreign governments.  Governments also are responsible for infrastructure such as bridges, roads and much more.

Haass thinks some of this distrust could be alleviated if young people could be incentivized to get involved with government services such as ameliorating climate change.  The military has encouraged people to join their forces.

An earlier blog dealt with myths about the government.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/07/the-entreprenurial-state.html

The ninth obligation is to support the teaching of civics.  We have many other bits of knowledge we need to learn to get jobs or even just to enjoy life.   Ideally civics should not be optional, but something basic needs to be mandatory.  Content is subject to dispute.  As a start the mechanics of local, state and federal governments, how they get elected and the judicial system up to the Supreme Court.  A lot of American (and Canadian) history is sensitive.  Displacement of the indigenous, slavery, Jim Crow, immigration restrictions are often avoided.  An understanding for today requires an understanding of our history.  I recall being told that Louis Riel was mentally ill, but I now suspect that view was tainted.

The tenth obligation is to put country first.  Perhaps it is easier to give examples of when this wasn't done.  A few years back Barrack Obama was given the duty to pick a Supreme Court Justice to replace Antonin Scalia who had recently died.  The Republican senate decided it was too close to an election and refused to co-operate.  A little over four years later the situation was reversed with the Republicans in charge of the presidency and and with even less time before the next election decided it was appropriate to appoint a new justice.  The result only a few months later was the reversal of the established national abortion policy despite the fact that the majority of voters were against this.

Another example from the author was when Trump made a phone call to Volodymyr  Zelenskyy and tried to trade military aid for a personal political advantage.

Haass left us with a good example of someone sacrificing a fairly certain political future in order to protest an insurrection.  That was Liz Cheney who did the right thing.

How can we pressure politicians to adopt the principle of obligations.  Those who accept the concept of obligations need to organize.  We are consumers and voters and need to articulate what we want.  There are a lot of people who are unconcerned, who accept misinformation or have their own vested interests.  We need to talk to them and try to understand their motivations (without judgment).  Our consumer choices can be directed to those corporations that share our goals.  Corporations, celebrities and religious leaders all have power that can be directed to our goals.

A last quote from the author, "American democracy will endure only if obligations join rights at the core of a widely shared understanding of citizenship...obligations are behaviors that should happen, but are not required as a matter of law".

We Canadians need not be self righteous as these obligations would make our procedures run more smoothly.  In Canada there are profound differences between the Alberta government and our federal government.  Regarding the oil industry, Albertans are protective and not perceived to be as concerned about climate change.  During the Covid pandemic Alberta was resistant to masking and vaccinations.  My wife and I picked up Covid during a trip to Edmonton, Alberta. 

A blog that helped to open me up to different views:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/08/dont-label-me-is-for-everyone_11.html

An earlier book by Richard Haass.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/06/a-world-in-disarray.html