Carney says Louis Riel’s legacy ‘helps to unite’ Canada at event marking Métis leader’s execution

Prime Minister Mark Carney laid a wreath at the grave of Louis Riel to mark the 140th anniversary of the Red River Métis leader’s execution at a ceremony in Winnipeg on Sunday morning.

It’s believed to be the first time a sitting prime minister has attended the annual commemoration ceremony, said Manitoba Métis Federation Housing Minister Will Goodon. 

MMF President David Chartrand, the head of the Red River Métis’ national government, said it was “something of great significance” that Carney was there to mourn at the St. Boniface Cathedral Cemetery alongside dignitaries from the MMF, federal, provincial and municipal governments. 

“Louis Riel would be so honoured and touched that the prime minister would come and give honours and respect to one of the greatest leaders this country has ever had,” Chartrand said. 

Riel “said ‘one day this country will recognize me for the good I’ve done.’ That day is here by you coming here personally,” Chartrand said from the podium, speaking directly to Carney. 

Louis Riel has been considered a complicated and controversial figure in Canadian history. He led two Métis resistances in what is now present-day Manitoba and Saskatchewan, advocating for Métis rights and culture. 

At 41 years old, he was hanged for treason on Nov. 16, 1885, in Regina.

Riel is now celebrated for setting the stage for Manitoba to enter Canada’s Confederation. He was declared the province’s founder in 1992 and was named the first honorary premier in 2023. 

In his address at Riel’s gravesite in St. Boniface on Sunday, Carney called the Métis leader a “foundational figure” in both the histories of Manitoba and Canada as a whole.

“A hundred and forty years after his execution divided a young nation, Louis Riel’s legacy helps to unite a maturing Canada, a Canada that is determined to reconcile with and learn from our history,” Carney said.

The prime minister said his government will work to “honour the legacy of Louis Riel” by working in partnership toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. 

Premier Wab Kinew, who first introduced an act to recognize Riel as Manitoba’s honorary first premier when he was Opposition leader, said he was proud to see Carney at the ceremony Sunday. 

“The reason why it’s so significant to welcome a sitting prime minister is because in Riel’s day, the prime minister of Canada was calling for Riel’s execution. Here we are, seven generations later, the prime minister of Canada is here to pay respect and honour Louis Riel,” Kinew said. 

“That shows us that Riel’s work is not done, his legacy is alive in our time,” he said.