North-West Rebellion

North-West Rebellion Rébellion du Nord-Ouest (French)
Part of the American Indian Wars
Top: Battle of Batoche Bottom: Battle of Cut Knife
Date March 26 – June 3, 1885 (2 months, 1 week and 1 day) Location Present-day Saskatchewan and Alberta Result Federal government victory Collapse of the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan Completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway Trial and execution of Louis Riel
Belligerents
Canada	Provisional Government of Saskatchewan (Métis) Cree–Assiniboine
Commanders and leaders
John A. Macdonald Leif Crozier Frederick Middleton John Wimburn Laurie William Dillon Otter Thomas Bland Strange Sam Steele Francis Dickens James J. Bremner	Louis Riel  Gabriel Dumont Honoré Jackson  Big Bear  Fine Day  Wandering Spirit  Poundmaker  White Cap
Strength
5,000 volunteers and militia[1] 500 NWMP[1][2]	280 Métis[3] 250 Cree–Assiniboine
Casualties and losses
38 dead[4] 141 wounded[4] 11 civilians killed[5]	33 Métis dead[4][6] 48 Métis wounded[4][6] 10–17 Cree dead 78–103 Cree wounded 1 Nez Perce death (at Cut Knife Hill) Total (military): 43–50 dead 126–151 wounded

The North-West Rebellion (French: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, North-West Territories, against the Canadian government. Many Métis felt that Canada was not protecting their rights, their land, and their survival as a distinct people. A provisional government led by Louis was declared, and rebel territory carved out, starting on March 18. As government forces responded, fighting broke out, with the last shooting over by the end of June. Important events included the Frog Lake incident, the capture of Batoche in May 1885 and Big Bear's surrender in early July. About 91 people were killed in the fighting that occurred that spring before the conflict ended. Although the Metis were militarily defeated, the Canada government subsequently did modulate some of its policies. Louis Riel was hanged but has since been pardoned for his actions.

Western Canadian old-timers were aghast at the changes sweeping the old North-West. The Metis among them invited Louis Riel, the hero of a 1870 uprising at Winnipeg, to lead a protest movement. He and Gabriel Dumont turned it into a military action with a heavily religious tone. That alienated Catholic clergy, Western Canadian Euro-Canadian settlers who also held grievances against government policies^[7] and many Indigenous persons in the western Prairies including even many Métis.

Riel and Dumont had the allegiance of about 250 armed Métis, 250 First Nations fighters and at least one white man (Honoré Jackson). But this small force was up against 900 Canadian Militia (the nascent Canadian army), armed NWMP officers and armed local residents – altogether 5,500 fighters on the side of the government.^{[8][9]: 3–4 [10]}

The rebels seized many small settlements in north east-central Alberta and in Saskatchewan, including Fort Carlton, Fort Pitt, Battleford and Frog Lake, and won victories at Duck Lake and Fish Creek. But overwhelming government forces and a critical shortage of supplies brought about the Métis' defeat in the four-day Battle of Batoche. The Cree and Assiniboine suffered from the same imbalance and, despite achieving limited victories at Cut Knife, Frenchman's Butte and Loon Lake, surrendered in June and early July. Several chiefs were put on trial and served prison time. Eight Indigenous men were hanged in Canada's largest mass hanging, for murders performed outside the military conflict.^[11]

Riel was captured, put on trial, and convicted of treason. Despite pleas from across Canada for clemency, he was hanged. Riel became a heroic martyr to Francophone Canada. His execution helped cause the growth of ethnic tensions between French Canada and English Canada into a deep division, whose repercussions continue to be felt. It helped cause the alienation of French Canadians, who were embittered by the repression of their countrymen. The suppression of the conflict contributed to the present control by English Canadians of the governments of the Prairie Provinces, which allow only a limited francophone presence.^[12][13][14] The key role that the Canadian Pacific Railway played in transporting troops drew favour from the Conservative government, and Parliament authorized funds needed to complete the country's first transcontinental railway.