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“Did Riel Receive A Fair Trial?”
By: Samira 8-3

Riel was charged with high treason for leading the North-West Rebellion against the Queen and her Canadian government in 1885 in what is now Saskatchewan. Prime Minister Macdonald decided that he had to be executed regardless of widespread belief that Riel was mentally ill and should be given mercy.
Riel's execution is often seen as a breaking point in relations between French and English.
Louis Riel did not receive a fair trial from a number of perspectives. One would include, that the case against Riel was being heard by a jury of six English- speaking men. At that point, English and French were not the best people who were getting along. English- speaking men at the small courtroom in Regina have been against Riel’s beliefs and his side of the story.
When the Hudson’s Bay Company gave up the control of Rupert’s Land in 1869, Riel created the Provisional Government to get closer to the Métis rights. Many English-speaking men thought that this was obligating treason. Treason expresses once someone is over throwing the government in power.
Ultimately, Riel was on trial. Quebec was concerned that if Riel would be hanged, they would be angry with Conservative Party and if he would not be hanged, Ontario would be enraged.
Many members of the Canadian government believed that Riel was an insane and was not responsible for his acts. He did not refuse that he stayed at a mental hospital, but Riel said that the doctors had specialized that he was cured.
Louis Riel was insane man, but his plan was to populate the divisions of Canada with many races, Catholic and Protestant. Many Metis thought that if Riel was insane, would sane men follow an insane leader- risk their lives for him, respect him and confide in him.
Louis Riel was no traitor in Canada. He was a loyalist who stood up for his people and their beliefs.

2007-02-16 06:44:13 · 5 answers · asked by 154 1 in Politics & Government Law & Ethics

5 answers

In 1885, Riel was charged with high treason for leading the North-West Rebellion against the Queen and her Canadian Government in an area now known as Saskatchewan. Prime Minister Macdonald decided that Riel had to be executed, regardless of widespread belief that Riel was mentally ill, and therefore should be given mercy.
Riel's execution is often seen as a breaking point in the relations between the French and the English.
From a number of perspectives, Louis Riel did not receive a fair trial. First, that the case against Riel was being heard by a jury of six English-speaking men. At that point, the English and the French were not the most cordial. English-speaking men, at the small courtroom in Regina, have been against Riel’s beliefs and his side of the story.
When the Hudson’s Bay Company gave up the control of Rupert’s Land in 1869, Riel created the Provisional Government to get closer to the Métis rights. Many English-speaking men thought that this was grounds for treason.
Ultimately, Riel was on trial. Quebec was concerned that if Riel would be hanged, they would be angry with the Conservative Party. If he were not hanged, Ontario would be enraged.
Many members of the Canadian government believed that Riel was insane, therefore not responsible for his actions due to diminished capacity. He did not refuse that he stayed at a mental hospital, but Riel said that the doctors had speculated that he was cured.
Louis Riel was an insane man, but his plan was to populate the divisions of Canada with Catholic and Protestant. Many Metis thought that if Riel was insane, would sane men follow an insane leader- risk their lives for him, respect him and confide in him?
Louis Riel was no traitor in Canada. He was a loyalist who stood up for his people and their beliefs.

2007-02-16 07:08:44 · answer #1 · answered by Christopher C 3 · 0 0

You argue that people would not follow, into conflict, an insane man, yet millions followed Hitler and Cambodia's Pol Pot. This is a poor argument.

Another factor to consdider was the lingering resentment against Riel by English settlers because of what Riel did when he had power (briefly) in Manitoba in 1969: he organized a kangaroo court that tried and executed settler Thomas Scott on exceptionally flimsy grounds. There was a widespread feeling that Riel had escaped judgment for that murder and deserved to be punished, after the fact.

If you can find some references, it is no secret at all that many of the English settlers in the Prince Albert area of what's now Saskatchewan were very sympathetic to his cause. It's my understanding there was a serious search by the lawyers for some of them who might have testified about this during the trial, thus removing the ethnic angle of the case, but none seem to have come forward. The viciousness of the Frog Lake massacre (whites attacked, killed and mutiliated by Indians loosely under Riel's command) made sympathy for him politically incorrect, to use a modern term.

Having studied Riel's case, (I live in Regina) I would advance the case that he was indeed seriously mentally ill, though brilliant in his lucid moments. Should that insanity have been the grounds for seekling clemency? It is possible that his lawyer considered that approach, but (as often happens in trials) his client (Riel) refused to let him do so, partly because of pride (hey, who wants to be labelled as being nuts?) and partly because he wanted to "market" himself to his fellow Metis as a patriot, not as a nutter.

There is a naturally tendency to "root for the underdog", but I would also suggest that he was nuts -- and took 105 other people to their deaths because of this.

2007-02-17 12:21:41 · answer #2 · answered by Willster 5 · 1 0

One would include, that the case against Riel was being heard by a jury of six English- speaking men. At that point, English and French were not the best people who were getting along.

Might read,
One perspective is that the case against Riel was being heard by a biased jury, six English-speaking men. At this point in history, the English and French communities were not friendly.

later
He did not refuse that he stayed at a mental hospital, but Riel said that the doctors had specialized that he was cured.


could read
Riel agreed to stay at a mental hospital, but claimed that the doctors had specified that he was cured.

Read more, and you won't need homework help. Grammar skills improve by reading good writers. bye

2007-02-16 06:53:18 · answer #3 · answered by pastor guy 3 · 1 0

Louis Riel Trial

2016-09-29 01:04:02 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

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