Calendar
Louis Riel Day
February 17
Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the Red River and North-West resistance (born 22 October 1844 in Saint-Boniface, Red River Settlement; died 16 November 1885 in Regina, SK). Riel led two popular Métis governments, was central in bringing Manitoba into Confederation, and was executed for high treason for his role in the 1885 resistance to Canadian encroachment on Métis lands.