In 1885, during his trial in Regina, Louis Riel stated:
I know that through the grace of God I am the founder of Manitoba.
As the Métis leader of the Red River Resistance of 1869-70, he was instrumental in drafting the List of Rights that formed the basis of the Manitoba Act, passed by the Parliament of Canada in the spring of 1870, which brought the new province of Manitoba into Confederation.
Make plans to celebrate Manitoba’s Louis Riel Day
Louis Riel was the driving force behind Manitoba becoming Canada’s fifth province. His dream of a province that embraces all cultures is still shared by Manitobans today.
On the third Monday of February, get out and join other Manitobans from all across our great province to celebrate Louis Riel’s vision.
Origin of the holiday's name
In 2008, Manitoba schools were invited to name our province’s newest holiday and 114 responded with suggestions that reflected Manitoba’s citizenship, history, culture, arts, sports and significant individuals from our past.
Eleven schools submitted the winning entry and received $1,000 grants to purchase materials for their school library.
Here is a complete list of the participating schools and their suggested names (PDF).
