Bill S-35

1st Session, 37th Parliament,

49-50 Elizabeth II, 2001

senate of canada

BILL S-35

An Act to honour Louis Riel and the Metis People

WHEREAS Louis Riel was a Metis and a great leader whose role and accomplishments have fired the imagination of successive generations of Metis, French Canadians and Western Canadians, and now he is honoured and his story told by Canadians throughout Canada;

WHEREAS Louis Riel played a significant leadership role in the political process that led to the enactment by Parliament of the Manitoba Act, 1870 on May 12 of that year, which Act led to the creation of the Province of Manitoba and its becoming, on July 15, 1870, the fifth province to join Confederation and the first province from Western Canada to do so;

WHEREAS some of Louis Riel’s activities as a leader brought him into conflict with Canadian law and Canadian authorities, thus creating both a need and an opportunity for future generations to reconcile his story with the national story of Canada;

AND WHEREAS it is now expedient for Parliament to effect that reconciliation and bring harmony to Canada’s national story by honouring Louis Riel and the Metis people and enabling all Canadians to publicly acknowledge Louis Riel’s contributions as a Metis patriot and Canadian hero;

NOW, THEREFORE, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

1. This Act may be cited as the Louis Riel Act.

2. The purpose of this Act is to honour Louis Riel and the Metis people by formally recognizing and commemorating Louis Riel’s unique and historic role in the advancement and development of Confederation, and his contribution to the rights and interests of the Metis people and the people of Western Canada.

3. The conviction of Louis Riel on August 1, 1885 for high treason is vacated.

4. The historic role of Louis Riel as a Metis patriot and his present role as a Canadian hero are both acknowledged.

5. May 12, the day on which the Manitoba Act, 1870 was assented to, shall be kept and observed throughout Canada in each and every year as Louis Riel Day.

6. The arrowhead sash is hereby acknowledged as the recognized symbol of the Metis people.

7. The departments, boards, corporations and agencies of the Government of Canada are authorized and encouraged to honour Louis Riel by using his name for appropriate commemorative purposes, and to honour the Metis people by appropriate displays of the arrowhead sash.

8. The Minister of Canadian Heritage shall take appropriate action for the preservation of the memory of Louis Riel and the advancement of Metis culture and history.