The Rights Revolution: Riel, Macdonald and Stamps

Riel’s negotiations, which facilitated the formation of Manitoba and the awarding of many rights associated with provincial status to the Metis people of Rupert’s Land, demonstrate his qualification for the honor of being on a Canadian stamp. In March of 1869, the Hudson’s Bay Company, who had controlled the territory of Rupert’s Land since 1821, decided to sell it to the newly confederated dominion of Canada without involving the land’s indigenous population. According to historian Chester Martin, “Many of the terms of union were imposed upon the inhabitants of the new province not only without their consent, but even without their knowledge.” At this time, Louis Riel, a young French-Canadian born in the Red River Settlement of Rupert’s Land, sensed the feeling of anxiety in the Metis population. On 8 December, 1869, Riel formed a provisional government to represent the people of Rupert’s Land, initiating the Red River Rebellion. Although this rebellion only spanned several months, its repercussions were drastic. Macdonald’s plan of expanding Canada beyond four provinces hinged on his being able to annex Rupert’s Land smoothly; he urged Riel to tread lightly. Instead, Riel published “The Declaration of the People of Rupert’s Land and the North West”, which argued for the right to self-government and territorial compromise for the Metis. Riel’s confrontation of the Canadian government was not in vain. On 15 May, 1870, the Manitoba Act, a bill that recognized many cultural and territorial rights of the Metis and awarded the region surrounding Rupert’s Land provincial status, was enacted. Only after long talks with Macdonald, who held that the territory was too underdeveloped to be made a province, was Riel able to make this happen.