Trial of Louis Riel


Trial of Louis Riel

July-AugustLouis Riel (1844-1885) was the leader of the mÉtis, Canadians of mixed French and Indian ancestry. He became their champion in the struggle for Canadian unification during the late 19th century and was twice elected to the House of Commons but never seated. He became a U.S. citizen in 1883, but returned to Canada two years later to lead the North-West Rebellion. Defeated, he was eventually tried for treason, convicted, and hanged at Regina, Saskatchewan, on November 16, 1885.
The transcripts of Riel's five-day trial are the basis for a full-length courtroom drama that is performed in July and August in Regina. Riel's life and death are seen today as symbolic of the problems between French and English Canadians.
CONTACTS:
Tourism Regina
Hwy. 1 E
P.O. Box 3355
Regina, SK S4P 3H1 Canada
306-789-5099; fax: 306-789-3171
www.tourismregina.com
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington St.
Ottawa, ON K1A ON4 Canada
613-996-5115
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html
SOURCES:
IntlThFolk-1979, p. 77