Louis Riel Day

Acts 2: 20-21  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Today Is Louis Riel Day here in Manitoba. So I thought I would share a bit of information here about the person Louis Riel.  The picture below is from the site http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca

Louis Riel was a passionate Métis leader. He was the driving force behind Manitoba becoming Canada’s fifth province and joining confederation. Louis Riel’s dream of a province that embraces all cultures is still shared by Manitobans today.

This Day celebrates the life and achievements of Louis Riel. He was a leader of the Metis people. It is celebrated in February here in Manitoba. For most of us it is just a day off from school and work - just a long weekend to enjoy with our families. The information posted below is from the website www.timeanddate.com


Manitoba's government introduced a holiday in February in 2007. This was because there was a long period between New Year's Day and Good Friday when there were no holidays. A competition was held among school children to name the day. The winning name was 'Louis Riel Day' to commemorate this Manitoba politician. The date does not have any special connection to a particular event in Louis Riel's life. The first Louis Riel Day in Manitoba was in 2008.

Louis Riel was a leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. These are an Aboriginal people with their own culture, language and heritage. The area, which was their ancestral homeland, is now in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and the Northwest Territories and parts of the north-west of the United States. Louis Riel was also a founder of the Manitoba province and a Canadian politician. However, during his lifetime, he was a controversial figure and lived in exile in the United States for a number of years. He was involved in a number of uprisings and, after a controversial trial, he was executed for treason in 1885.

Louis Riel Day is observed on or around November 16 in other areas of Canada, particularly Toronto. This is the anniversary of Louis Riel's execution in 1885. Louis Riel Day is held in Toronto to commemorate Louis Riel's life and to celebrate the Métis people's culture, language, heritage and ancestral homeland.