The Super Riel

Occasionally, Riel is portrayed as a bloodthirsty rebel; however, Riel’s first move was indeed a peaceful letter to the French-Canadian newspaper Le Nouveau Monde, to defend the Métis character and to express their dedication in keeping their land. Embodying unceasingly-relevant issues, such as multiculturalism, tolerance for difference and social justice, Riel not only fought for Métis rights, but also French Canadians’ rights; Riel’s death therefore produced a hefty impact on Quebec. The province’s distress was witnessed with Premier Honoré Mercier's famous cry: "Riel, our brother, is dead, the victim of his dedication to the cause of the Métis." In Quebec, the hanging of Riel was eventually interpreted as a supreme act of cruelty against one whose only sin was to have stood up for the rights of his people. Riel was an unforgettable symbol of social justice; he remains eminent in Canadian politics for these reasons: on 16 November 1994, Suzanne Tremblay, a Bloc Québécois member of parliament, introduced bill C-228, "An Act to revoke the conviction of Louis David Riel.”