In the summer of 1869 the proposed transfer of the northwest from the Hudson’s Bay Company to Canada engendered a period of unrest in the region. Concerned that they had not been consulted, many inhabitants of the Red River colony, including a large number of Métis led by Louis Riel, mounted a resistance. A provisional government was put in place to establish a list of demands and conduct negotiations with Canada, which led to the ratification of the Manitoba Act, effective 15 July 1870. It met several demands, such as respect for land-ownership titles, provincial status, responsible government, bilingual institutions, and denominational schools. The creation of the new province, however, was followed by a period of instability and violence marked by Riel’s exile.
