Nov. 16 marked the 140th anniversary of Louis Riel’s execution at the age of 44. Riel was the political and religious leader of the Métis and defender of the territorial and cultural rights of his people in the Canadian Prairies.
Riel was tried for treason following the North-West Rebellion of 1885, but his death can’t be reduced to a mere historical event. Rather, it provides an opportunity to revisit a defining moment in modern Canadian history and to assess how the issues he raised — sovereignty, land rights and cultural pluralism — remain deeply relevant to this day.
Far from being confined to archives or history books, Riel regularly reappears in political debates, artistic creations and discussions of Canadian identity.
