Mr. Speaker, the third Monday in February is devoted to the memory of Louis Riel, who was hanged by the Conservative government of John A. Macdonald following the North-West rebellion of the Métis.
The struggle by Riel and the Métis resulted in the founding of Manitoba. Defending the rights of his people cost Riel his life. The day after Riel's hanging, Honoré Mercier, future nationalist Premier of Quebec, said, “Riel, our brother, is dead, victim of his devotion to the cause of the Métis of which he was leader; ... victim of the fanatism of Sir John and of some other friends of his; for the blood on their hands will forever signify their cowardice and tarnish their legacy.”
Today the Bloc Québécois is honouring the memory of Riel and the battle fought by the Métis for the advent of democracy in French Canada.
Thank you, Louis Riel.