Louis Riel : Patriot or Rebel?

The Canadian Historical Association developed its Historical Booklet series to “provide the general reader, the teacher and the historical specialist with concise accounts of special historical problems” (27). In this booklet (#2), George F. G. Stanley addresses Louis Riel’s legacy and questions the root causes of the North-West Resistance. The book scrutinizes Riel’s role in guiding Métis grievances against the newly formed Canadian government from 1869 through 1885. By outlining key figures and events in the conflicts that led to the Resistance, Stanley suggests that the movement Riel led was not so much a copy of French-English tensions in eastern Canada as it was a clash of civilizations as Europeans moved westward, displacing First Nations groups in the process.