Talk:North-West Rebellion

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Anyone care to organize a battles campaign/category for the Rebellion? I believe we've completed all the major battles:

Battle of Duck Lake
Battle of Fish Creek
Battle of Cut Knife
Battle of Batoche
Battle of Frenchman's Butte

- Albrecht 23:39, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Recently rounded out the list with Fort Pitt and Loon Lake. I'm very pleased with the way the NW Rebellion campaign structure has taken shape thanks to the productive harmony of independent efforts. Albrecht 20:51, July 25, 2005 (UTC)

Yes, the pieces are coming together, but the article itself still needs much work to weave together the political and military elements. My intention has always been to turn my attention to this, but only now do I feel like I'm recovering from the marathon effort to get Louis Riel into shape. Perhaps its time to start work on this article in ernest, and aim for featured status in a month or two... Are you up for such a collaboration? Fawcett5 23:22, 25 July 2005 (UTC)

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foundering -> floundering? 19:58, 11 Feb 2005 Chrisbolt

"Founder" means to fill with water and sink. It is the correct metaphor in this context. Indefatigable 14:32, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

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"In 1884 the Metis asked Louis Riel to return from the United States, where he had fled after the Red River Rebellion, "

Wasn't Riel exiled? Once you're exiled and chose to abide by the exile, you're not really fleeing anymore. Right?

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Answer. Not according to what I read. Louis Riel sought sanctuary in the United States. At that date Canada and the United States did not have a mutual extradition treaty. Indeed the idea of legal extradition may not have existed.

From what I remember Louis Riel feared for his life. While his goal of creating Manitoba had been successful, Manitoba had been literally politically hi-jacked by the numerous settlers. There were a lot of angry people on both sides of the Metis issue.

Riel fled specifically because of the execution of a white settler named Thomas Scott suring the successful Red River Rebellion. Justifiably Riel feared retribution. The center of legal power emanated from what was Upper Canada.

People mostly Protestants were understandably outraged. Many injustices existed during that time including a rather creative application of capital punishment. Technically Riel had every legal right to approve the execution of Scott since his committee was the government of Manitoba at the time. Dressing this tragic episode appears the spector of religious conflict. Scott was an Orangeman, a Protestant. Riel was Metis, which is First Nations/French Canadian/Scottish and Catholic. The two were polar opposites.

The military force sent out to enforce Canadian sovereignty would have arrested Riel. And since Riel knew that political force grew out of the barrel of the gun, he did not expect a fair trial as the prosecutors and judges were British, and Protestant. Riel had conceded Manitoba to the Canadian federal government's national sovereignty. Wisely he fled.

In today's judicial system Louis Riel would have recieved no more than a minimal manslaughter charge and civil court accountability to Scott's family. At that time, the Canadian judicial system provided no balance as proven by his trial and execution.

I have noticed that the Wikipedia editors prefer the use of the North-West Rebellion. The more colloquial name is "the Riel Rebellion". The slang name carries far more impact with Canadians and is usually associated with the latter rebellion.

Canadians are usually shocked by the fact that indeed Louis Riel must be considered one of the most important founding fathers of Canada. He should be considered a Father of Confederation warts and all.