Métis resistance (1885)

The North-West Rebellion of 1885 was the violent resistance on the part of Métis and First Nations groups to the policies and practices of the Canadian government.

In one of the violent incidents that took place in 1885, a group of indigenous attackers killed nine settlers at Frog Lake (Alta). The killings aroused horror and hatred throughout English Canada. That both Métis and First Nations communities had legitimate grievances was ignored. Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald decided to crush the revolt. With the fall of Batoche, Sask. and Métis leader Louis Riel’s surrender on 15 May, the rebellion was over. The hanging of the Riel on 16 Nov. 1885 especially outraged French Canadians.