Teacher's Guide

(1869 – 1870)

ISBN 978-1-927531-09-9

Every effort has been made to acknowledge original sources and to comply with copyright law. If cases are identified where this has not been done, please notify Louis Riel Institute. Errors or omissions will be corrected in a future edition.

Acknowledgements Advisory Committee Members • Grant Anderson, Policy Analyst, Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs • Lawrie Barkwell, Coordinator of Metis Heritage and History Research, Louis Riel Institute • Linda Connor, Consultant, Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning • Shirley Delorme Russell, Curriculum Development Specialist, Louis Riel Institute • Renée Gillis, Conseillère pédagogique en sciences humaines, Bureau de l’éducation française • Jeff Legault, Policy Analyst, Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs • Georgina Liberty, Director, Manitoba Metis Federation Tripartite Self Government Negotiations • Sharon Parenteau, General Manager of the Louis Riel Institute • Greg Pruden, Consultant, Aboriginal Perspectives, Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning • Alison Rogan, Manager, Policy and and Strategic Initiatives, Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Table of Contents

About This Teacher’s Guide ...... 1

What is the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (LAA)?...... 3

History of Red River & Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia...... 6

Manitoba Curriculum Links ...... 10

Other Curriculum Links ...... 11

Suggested Questions for Class Discussion ...... 12

Part 1: Introduction...... 13 1.1: Backpack / St. Boniface Museum / Hudson Bay Company Archives. . . .13 1.2: The Métis (Yesterday & Today)...... 14 1.3: Placemats Jigsaw...... 17 1.4: Google Earth and the History of Red River by Streets ...... 19

Part 2: Welcome McDougall or Stop Him?...... 21 2.1: Dilemmas...... 21 2.2: Oral Histories...... 22 2.3: Thomas Scott — WikiLeaks in 1870? ...... 23

Part 3: Restore Order, or Anarchy? Governance Choices...... 25 3.1: Forms of Government ...... 25 3.2: Sessional Journal of the LAA...... 26 3.3: Who Are the People in Your Neighbourhood? ...... 27

Part 4: Establish a Representative Government? ...... 29 4.1: Contemporary Rights Issues ...... 29 4.2: Organizing Madness...... 31

Part 5: Join Confederation? ...... 33 5.1: Rebellion, Revolution, or Resistance — Stereotypes about Canadians . . . . 33

Resources...... 35 Library and Archives Canada - Corner of Portage Ave. and Main St. PA-051938

Library and Archives Canada - HBC, Fort Garry, Red River Settlement - C-105625 About This Teacher’s Guide

The Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (LAA) interactive teaching and learning project harnesses information and communications technologies to transform our collective understanding of both the pivotal role Métis people played in Manitoba’s history and of Canada’s political development. The graphic, bilingual, web-based resource, also usable on data storage devices, features a historical simulation activity and thematic modules to engage secondary school students on the accomplishments and significance of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (1869–1870) in the context of Grade 11 History of Canada – A Foundation for Implementation. This resource also provides opportunities for students to put Historical Thinking Concepts into practice.

Four-Phase Learning Process:

The learning experiences offered in this guide follow a simple and trusted framework: The Four A’s. Each experience has an activating strategy to foster curiosity, an acquiring strategy to acquire content knowledge, and an applying strategy for the creation of new knowledge. An assessment determines whether or not the intended outcomes were achieved. Given this structure, educators may adapt and modify these experiences to suit their specific learners and learning communities.

The simulation can be used as an activating, acquiring, applying, and/or assessment strategy in the context of a learning experience.

The strategies and experiences rely on strategic points of the simulation. The jumping-off points are purposefully planned areas where learners are forced to make a decision based on a particular dilemma. They will use primary sources in an attempt to navigate their way carefully through contentious situations in the history of the Red River Settlement during 1869 to 1870. Educators can use the strategies provided and also have students respond to the historical dilemmas via the simulation.

Activating: Activating strategies are generally designed to foster the curiosity of the learners by exciting them, identifying with their experience, or affecting them emotionally. Activation motivates and stimulates learners to ask “why?” by altering their understanding of the world.

The role of the activating strategy is also to make learning purposeful and about the real world. Learners are motivated when their thinking and their work has an impact on the outside world. Your role as an educator is to make that connection between the learning community and the real world.

Acquiring: The acquiring stage is more than the teacher simply presenting information to the learners. At this stage, we ask students to remember and understand knowledge. These strategies may include asking experts, doing research, going to archives, by holding group discussions, reading a variety of texts, attending lectures, and so on.

Processing and analyzing knowledge is just as important as collecting information. Learning experiences are constructed to assess the validity of sources and to understand their significance.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 1 Applying: Applying is essentially the experimentation and playing that occurs once students have amassed a certain foundation of knowledge. Learners are asked to analyze, to synthesize, to evaluate, to apply critical thinking, and finally, to create. This is where learners can ask significant questions concerning the world and their role in it and think about choices available to them.

Assessment: Assessment strategies allow educators to determine if the student has achieved the desired learning experiences in Grade 9 Social Studies learning outcomes and Grade 11 Enduring Understandings. It is critical that we set clear objectives during the planning process and that we continually return to those objectives throughout the lessons. Assessment strategies should include assessment as learning, assessment for learning, and assessment of learning.

Assessment Links Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning, Grade 11 History of Canada: Foundation for Implementation document: “Assessment and the Stages of Learning” http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/history_ gr11/section2.pdf Dylan Wiliams on Assessment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3HRvFsZHoo) (video)

2 What is the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (LAA)

Over the summer, autumn and winter of 1869, fears grew within Red River Settlement that lives might be disrupted by self-styled “friends of Canada” — a.k.a. the “Canadian Party” — who were willing to install a “new order” by force. People feared that a foreign administration might not give the original settlers a say in how their settlement would be run, or a place in their region’s future.

In the autumn of 1869, a governance vacuum had threatened the settlement. The land transfer deal — from the Hudson’s Bay Company [HBC], to the Crown of England, and then to Canada — was in a state of suspension. The Lieutenant Governor designated by Canada, William McDougall, had been blocked from entering Assiniboia by one group of Red River settlers on the grounds that as a foreign country that had taken no steps to inform inhabitants of Rupert’s Land of its intentions, Canada ought to declare those intentions and consult with people of the settlement before presuming the right to rule. This was a critical issue for some settlers because from what they had heard from the Canadian Party and had gleaned from Canadian newspapers, it was possible that Canada’s intentions were hostile when it came to ‘Halfbreeds’ — particularly those who might be classified as having French and Catholic leanings or allegiances. These settlers were particularly alarmed by reports that Governor McDougall was transporting 350 rifles, with ammunition in his baggage with which he intended to arm a Canadian Party Volunteer Militia. The Volunteers were suspected of having been brought into the country under the guise of road building and survey crews when in reality they were meant to serve as an occupying force. Canada had declined to forward the £300,000 purchase price owed to the HBC until a guarantee of peaceful possession could be guaranteed.

During this time, HBC Governor William Mactavish was seriously ill. Although his appointed Council of Assiniboia was competent to carry on normal duties, it was not capable of dealing with extraordinary circumstances — the Company having no force, other than settlers, on which it could rely to keep the peace in the settlement and ensure that the decrees of the Council and courts of law, and the actions of their constables, would be respected.

By December 1869, the perceived inability of the HBC to ensure order and preserve settler safety had been addressed. A provisional government had been installed in Upper Fort Garry by the Comité National des Métis (Métis National Committee) under President John Bruce. This provisional government was averse to allowing McDougall and his Volunteers to take command: by this point, the settlers’ argument was that Canada, as a foreign Dominion with no title to the territory, had no right to install a government.

The Comité National des Métis then inaugurated a formal process of discussion by which representatives from the parishes of the settlement met to evaluate the argument that provisional self-government was the only prudent course to follow until such time as Canada made its intentions clear. At the same time that this argument was put forward, and before consensus as to what course to follow had been achieved, the Comité National des Métis had organized its own volunteer force made up of settlers and led by Adjutant-General Ambroise Dydime Lepine. Because the Comité thereby took over the responsibility of policing the settlement, a condition of virtual martial law existed.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 3 There were dissenting opinions as to whether this was the best course of action — McDougall having issued a proclamation that asserted, by Royal Decree, that he was the legitimate governor of the Settlement. That McDougall’s proclamation was false was not a fact known — or guessed at — by everyone at Red River. Many settlers, particularly the Canadian Party, could not believe that a senior Canadian official would issue a bogus proclamation given the disrespect for the Crown, not to mention the illegality, of such an action.

Rumours of impending violence passed round and about the settlement. The Canadian Party and its force of volunteers remained staunchly loyal to their supposed Lieutenant Governor. They were determined he would be installed at Upper Fort Garry.

By January of 1870, however, the activities of the Canadian Party had been severely curtailed. The Comité National des Métis was securely established as what its supporters believed to be the provisional government most deserving of that title. As the provisional government under President Louis Riel, it did not tolerate any attempts, whether real or rumoured to install a Canadian-led government.

Rumours of violence that circulated in the settlement came primarily from the Canadian Party. The Party took much of its direction from John Christian Schultz. He was jailed in 1868, but escaped and lived in open defiance of the Council of Assiniboia’s laws and a court-ordered sentence for non-payment of debts. The provisional government attempted to take a harder line when it came to dealing with Schultz. He was arrested a second time in December 1869, along with members of the Canadian Volunteer Militia, after they conspired to attack Upper Fort Garry.

Schultz escaped again and then went into hiding — as did two other notable Canadian escapees, Charles Mair and Thomas Scott. The Canadian Party it seems was as determined as ever to depose the provisional government and substitute an alternate governing body. The ongoing Canadian agitation was considered disruptive and dangerous by provisional government supporters within the settlement.

The people of Red River were not happy with the state of affairs. From 25 January 1870 to 10 February 1870, the people held the Convention of Forty/ la Grande Convention to decide “what would be best for the country.”

There were a number of important decisions made by the Convention of Forty. Perhaps the most significant of these were:

1. They would send delegates to Ottawa to negotiate terms of confederating with Canada; and

2. They would institute fully representative government at Red River, preparing the way for fully responsible government upon confederation.

The Convention of Forty therefore determined that the provisional government would have an elected legislative assembly along with an executive council chosen from among the assembly members (a feature in keeping with responsible government).

4 Thus, the historical significance fo the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia rests in its relation to the history of political development in Canada. The legislative assembly was a singular development in one respect: Métis people created the provisional government and made up the majority of its members. Along with a Métis president and chief justice, twenty-one of the twenty-eight honourable members of the representative legislative assembly were Métis and at least one half of the responsible (meaning chosen from the assembly) executive council were likewise Métis.

Another notable achievement was that the provisional government actually functioned. The deliberations of the president, chief justice, and executive council were more than matched by the work of the legislative assembly. The honourable members sat for three sessions. During the first two they tabled committee reports, debated, and passed bills related to land tenure, the military, and the judicial system, in addition to devising a full set of laws. During the third, they ratified the Manitoba Act. Thus, representative government was enacted and put into practice in the North West, and provisions for responsible government were well in place, prior to the creation of Manitoba as a Canadian province on 15 July 1870.

See a summary of Red River and the LAA on the following page that can be printed out and distributed.

Library and Archives Canada - Buffalo Meat Drying, White Horse Plains, Red River – William Armstrong fonds – C-010502

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 5 History of Red River & Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia

Most Manitobans know Louis Riel was Métis. Some people think he was a contentious figure and others consider him to be the father of Manitoba. Beyond these broad understandings, many Manitobans and Canadians know little about the events of 1869–70 in a small place called Red River, or Assiniboia, that would become one of the most significant political resistances in Canadian history. Louis Riel was certainly an important figure in the events that would help bring Manitoba into Confederation, but there were others as well, both Métis and non-Métis, which enabled this transformation. The Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (LAA) is a lesser-known historical and political development that played a crucial role in the history of Manitoba and Canada.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans several First Nations called the area known as Red River (where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet) home. They lived off the land, shared space, and defended the territory. The Forks, as it is known today, was a natural trading intersection for the Plains Cree, the Woodland Cree, the Ojibway/Saulteaux, Dakota, Dene, Assiniboine, and many others. First Nations have occupied the region for more than ten thousand years. It wasn’t until 1738 that the first European, La Verendrye, arrived in this region.

La Verendrye’s achievement was overshadowed somewhat by wars in Europe and the eastern colonies, but his exploration was the first “shot” in what would become an almost century-long conflict between two powerful fur trading companies — the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) and the North West Company (NWC).

In 1670, the British Crown gave the HBC a charter that granted the HBC all territory that drained into Hudson Bay for the purposes of trading furs and other resources. The HBC set up their trading posts along the Hudson Bay, and First Nations people wishing to trade with the Company were obliged travel to these posts. The area conferred by the 1670 charter was known as Rupert’s Land and covered almost 25 percent of North America (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Historical Map of Canada in 17001 Canadian Geographic: http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/mapping/historical_maps/1700.asp

1 Accessed on June 6, 2015 at http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/mapping/historical_maps/1700.asp

6 In the late eighteenth century, smaller fur traders and companies joined together and created the North West Company (established out of Montreal) to compete with HBC. The NWC undercut the HBC and established its trading posts inland including the territory around Red River.

By 1811–12, the Métis, descendants of fur traders and Indigenous women, were well-established in Red River and were making a living hunting buffalo as well as making and selling pemmican to the NWC fur traders as a food source. This situation worked out well, unless you were an employee or shareholder of the HBC. To be competitive, the HBC sold shares to a Scottish philanthropist, Thomas Douglas, the fifth Earl of Selkirk, also known as Lord Selkirk. He purchased one-third of HBC shares and negotiated a tract of land, which became the Red River Colony, to serve as a settlement for disenfranchised Scottish men and women. For the HBC, the establishment of the colony was an opportunity to set up a Protestant community in the middle of Roman Catholic, NWC territory (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Plan of the Settlement on Red River as It Was in June 1816 University of Manitoba: Archives & Special Collections 3

2 Accessed on June 6, 2015 at https://www.flickr.com/photos/manitobamaps/3010231147

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 7 The first Selkirk Settlers arrived in Red River in the fall of 1812. It was not the best season for farming. Peguis, an Ojibwe chief, gave them shelter over the winter so they would survive. From there, the HBC and the NWC had a number of skirmishes that eventually led to war. Trading posts were being ambushed, battles were fought at places like Seven Oaks, and trade was suffering.

Lord Selkirk attempted to broker a deal with the First Nations, as represented in Figure 3, but this was not honoured by Selkirk. Peguis attempted to broker peace between the two fur-trading companies. The Métis had been on the land for years and had established a sense that they were a nation.

Figure 3: Plan of the Land bought by the Earl of Selkirk from Peguis and other Indians. 18th July, 1817 2 Library and Archives Canada, MIKAN no. 4149347

Due to this business conflict, the British government demanded that the HBC and NWC merge under one company. In 1821 they merged under the name of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

In 1869, 48 years later, the Red River valley population was about 12,000 people and was made up of 6,000 French-speaking Métis, 4,000 English-speaking Métis, and 2,000 European and Canadian settlers. It is important to note that most First Nations people were not included in this 1869 census. The fur trade was the main industry, the Métis supplied buffalo products to traders, and life was somewhat peaceful. The Red River region was governed by the Council of Assiniboia, appointed by the HBC to ensure peace and order. But things were about to change.

3 Accessed on June 5, 2015 a http://data2.archives.ca/e/e097/e002418720.jpg

8 Two years earlier, in 1867, through Confederation, the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada (which became Ontario and Québec) became unified as the Dominion of Canada. One of the first orders of business for the new government was to expand its border and reach the West before other countries — notably the United States — decided to take some territory north of the 49th parallel. The USA had just recently purchased Alaska from the Russians and had made several proclamations throughout the nineteenth century that Canada would simply become part of its domain. Aware of this, the Canadian government was focused on establishing its territorial control by creating settlements and a transcontinental railroad throughout the western part of North America. In order to do this, however, it needed to purchase Rupert’s Land from the HBC. This deal was negotiated in the summer of 1869 and the land transfer was scheduled for December 1, 1869.

The inhabitants of Red River were not consulted on this deal.

Before the land transfer took place, John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, began to send out surveyors to measure and carve up the land into square agricultural sections. This farming practice ran completely against the French seigneurial system and the Métis river lot system, whereby plots were long, narrow rectangles that gave everyone access to the river.

Hearing news of the Government of Canada surveyors’ activity, the Métis, who had been on the land for decades, were alarmed. Led by Louis Riel, the Métis confronted the surveyors on October 11, 1869. Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald had been warned by the Catholic Bishop, the Anglican Bishop, and the HBC governor of Assiniboia not to send the surveyors, but this did not deter him. The Métis on that day sent a message to Canada that it must negotiate with the Métis if it wished to develop this area of the continent.

Hearing no response from Canada, Riel enlisted the help of the residents of the territory to create the National Committee of the Métis to stand up for their rights. They took on the responsibility of creating a response to the appointment of William McDougall. McDougall was an anti-French, Orangeman and colleague of the prime minister, who had been appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the area (The Orange Order, a Protestant secret society, was often militant when it came to issues of religion and politics).

Action was needed: the Committee understood that if McDougall was allowed into the area, and if Assiniboia was absorbed into Canada, the Métis way of life would disappear.

On November 2, 1869, the Métis took action by occupying Upper Fort Garry, the HBC trading post. (Today, in downtown Winnipeg, only one gate of Upper Fort Garry remains.) The Métis used a small force of armed men to prevent McDougall from entering the area. These moves caught the attention of the Canadian government but they had no way of efficiently, or even legally, sending out troops to the area. On December 1, 1869, William McDougall crossed the border and illegally declared the area part of Canada and himself the governor. He then quickly retreated to North Dakota.

Over the next few months, the Orange/Protestant population in Red River was stirred by McDougall, and there were attempts made to topple the National Committee of the Métis, also known as the provisional government. To manage this struggle, the Committee arrested and imprisoned these people. Following their trials, most were set free except for Thomas Scott, a particularly difficult prisoner who was later executed.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 9 This act is often seen as Riel’s downfall, as much of the English and Protestant portion of the country seized on Scott’s execution to denounce and vilify Riel until his own execution 15 years later.

Between January and June 1870, democracy grew in Assiniboia, or Red River. The provisional government was a legislative body whose members needed to create a political institution that could make political decisions. Between January 25 and February 10, 1870, the Convention of Forty was held to decide on the next critical steps for the region. With 20 French and 20 English representatives, the Convention agreed that it needed to create a legislative body that was responsible and representative, and that they would send delegates to Ottawa to negotiate with Canada.

From March 9 until June 24, 1870, the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia sat, governed in the region, and would eventually approve the Manitoba Act, the legislation that would bring Manitoba into Confederation. The LAA was the first form of responsible government in western Canada.

Manitoba Curriculum Links

The Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia simulation is geared primarily towards the Grade 11 Canadian History curriculum in Manitoba, but this should not limit its use. Teachers of all subject areas could use the game in mathematics, science, art, physical education, language arts, and any other discipline or combination of multiple disciplines. Life in Red River in the nineteenth century was far more than names, dates, and events. People shared space with and depended upon each other, and were part of complex social and economic networks.

Grade 11: Canadian History The Grade 11 Social Studies in Manitoba (curriculumhttp://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/ history_gr11/) focuses on five major themes:

1. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples 2. French-English Duality 3. Identity, Diversity, and Citizenship 4. Governance and Economics 5. Canada and the World

The LAA stimulation and learning experiences lend themselves naturally to all of these themes and focuses on the following essential questions:

1.3: How did First Peoples and Europeans interact in the Northwest and what were the results?

2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

3.3: How did Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples change after Confederation?

10 The stimulation and learning also offer opportunities to develop competencies based on the six Historical Thinking Concepts:

1. Establish historical significance 2. Use primary source evidence 3. Identify continuity and change 4. Analyze cause and consequence 5. Take historical perspectives 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

Essential to the Grade 11 History of Canada are the Enduring Understandings. Find these at http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/history_gr11/section2.pdf.

Other Curriculum Links: Grade 6: Canadian History This resource may also be adapted for the Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum in Manitoba (http:// www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/posters/gr6_cluster1.pdf) which focuses on the development of Canada as a modern nation.

The following outcomes could be achieved by using the simulation and adapting learning experiences:

6-KH-027: Identify individuals and events connected with Manitoba’s entry into Confederation. Include: Louis Riel, Red River Resistance, Métis Bill of Rights, provisional government.

6-KH-027F: Identify the roles of Father Noël-Joseph Ritchot and Archbishop Alexandre-Antonin Taché in Manitoba’s entry into Confederation.

6-KH-033: Identify factors leading to the entry into Confederation of Manitoba, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nunavut, and specify the year of entry.

6-VH-012: Value the diverse stories and perspectives that comprise the history of Canada.

6-KH-032: Identify contributions of Aboriginal leaders from 1867 to 1914. Examples: Gabriel Dumont, Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear), Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker), Isapomuxika (Crowfoot)...

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 11 Grade 9: Canada in the Contemporary World This resource can also be connected with the Grade 9 Social Studies curriculum in Manitoba (http:// www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/foundation_gr9/). The following outcomes could be achieved by using the simulation and adapting learning experiences:

KC-011: Identify ways in which democratic ideals have shaped contemporary Canadian society. Examples: rule of law, equality, diversity, freedom, citizen participation in government...

VI-005A: Be willing to support the vitality of their First Nations, Inuit, or Métis languages and cultures.

VL-006: Respect traditional relationships that Aboriginal peoples of Canada have with the land.

KH-033: Give examples of social and technological changes that continue to influence quality of life in Canada. Examples: education, health care, social programs, communication, transportation...

VH-009: Value the contributions of diverse cultural and social groups to Canadian society.

VH-010: Appreciate that knowledge of the past helps to understand the present and prepare for the future.

VP-014: Value non-violent resolutions to conflict.

VP-016: Be sensitive to the impact of majority rule on minorities and marginalized groups.

Suggested Questions for Class Discussion

The following questions may be used to help generate discussion, and as an activating activity to find out what students know:

Why is Louis Riel considered the Father of Manitoba? Who owns this land and why? What constitutes land ownership? What is government? How are governments legitimized? Who are the Métis? Who originally lived in Red River Settlement (including what is now Winnipeg and surrounding area)? Why would the Métis care if Canadian surveyors came out to Red River? Why would John A. Macdonald ever negotiate with the Métis? What was Confederation? What is colonialism?

12 Part 1: Introduction

Over the summer, autumn, and winter of 1869, fears grow within Red River Settlement that lives might be disrupted by the transfer of the territory to Canada. There is fear that a foreign government might not give the inhabitants consideration as to how their settlement would be administered. At this time, a governance vacuum is seriously threatening the peace and security of the settlement.

What is the best course of action to follow for the people of the country and the settlement, for their future and well-being?

Strategy 1.1: Backpack/St. Boniface Museum/Hudson’s Bay Company Archives

Goal: At the end of this lesson, students should be able to visualize what life might have been like in Red River in 1869.

Essential Questions: 1.3: How did First Peoples and Europeans interact in the Northwest, and what were the results?

2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

Historical Thinking Concept: 2. Use primary source evidence

Activating: As students enter the room, have them bring their backpacks in with them and form a circle on the floor. Ask them one by one to describe what they have in their backpacks.

Now have students think about what would not be in their backpacks in 1869. What items might be included in a 16-year-old’s bag at that time? Would it have depended on who they were? Would ethnic identity, class, and gender have anything to do with it?

Acquiring: Now that students are curious about life in Red River in the late nineteenth century, have them explore the St. Boniface Museum, either directly as a class or through a virtual tour via a link to the St. Boniface Museum. Students can create a list of items they would have in their bag as a 16-year-old living in Red River, based on who they might have been.

If you do not have the resources for the virtual tour, use images which can be found on sites provided in the “Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Resource List” at the end of this guide.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 13 Applying: In groups of three or four, have students review each other’s lists. Give each group a large sheet of blank newsprint paper and some markers. Based on the items in their “virtual” backpacks, have them create a scene from Red River in 1869. They will likely not know what things looked like in 1869 so they are merely going by what they have seen in the Museum.

After they have created their scenes, have each group present. Ask the groups why they have placed certain items in their scene. Probe students to go deeper into their analysis. What was life like in 1869? How did people live? What was the economy based on? How was society structured?

Following this, use the following photo gallery (http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/) from Libraries and Archives Canada to see how the images match. As there is not an official Manitoba Métis photo gallery, educators can also plan a trip to the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives at the Archives of Manitoba to work on the compilation of one or investigate the Métis virtual museum which can be found at (http://www.metismuseum.ca/).

When comparing the scenes created by the students and the images from the nineteenth century, lead a discussion about the similarities and differences between the photographs and the student’s scenes. For example, what surprised the students? What did not?

Assessment: At the end of the activity, have students describe what life might have been like in Red River in the nineteenth century. This can be done via an exit slip, a Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/) submission, or the class blog; or through some other mechanism of collecting the students’ voices.

Strategy 1.2: The Métis (Yesterday & Today)

Goal: At the end of this lesson, students will have an understanding of who the Métis were in 1869 and who the Métis are today. Students will also understand why the Métis were concerned about protecting their claim to the land.

Essential Questions: 2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

3.3: How did Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples change after Confederation?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 2. Use primary source evidence 3. Identify continuity and change 4. Analyze cause and consequence 5. Take historical perspectives 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

14 Activating: At the beginning of the lesson, read with the students the following article related to the 2013 Supreme Court of Canada’s decision related to Métis land claims (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/ news/politics/after-140-years-and-a-review-of-2000-volumes-of-documents-Métis -win-land-claim/ article9505274/).

You can also visit the Manitoba Metis Federation’s webpage devoted to Métis land claims (http:// www.mmf.mb.ca/news_details.php?news_id=98).

Depending on your learning community, it might be beneficial to provide this article in advance so that students are coming prepared to discuss the issues.

On the whiteboard or Interactive Whiteboard, create a simple chart with the following headings:

What I Know What I Need to Learn Questions I Have

Have students identify issues, legislation, people, and movements from the article and place them under the headings.

Have a discussion about what information and concepts you need to collectively explore in order to understand and contribute to and/or critique this article.

Acquiring: Now that you identified what you need to know and what questions you still have, find more sources. Your students are no doubt curious about the issues raised. It is now time to capitalize on this controversial issue.

Try to create an educative experience for your students. This might require that you contact the Manitoba Metis Federation (http://www.mmf.mb.ca), the Louis Riel Institute (http://www.louisrielinstitute.com), or the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba (http://www.trcm.ca) to see if a speaker can come out and talk about Métis land claims (the Treaty Relations Commission would offer excellent perspectives on Treaties 1 and 2).

You can also provide other text sources for your students in order for them to understand the events and movements that have led to the Supreme Court’s decision (this might also require a brief explanation of the history and role of the Supreme Court).

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 15 Other Recommended Sources:

Joseph Boyden: Louis Riel & Gabriel Dumont (http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780670066711/ joseph-boyden/extraordinary-canadians-louis-riel-and-gabriel-dumont#.VXILKG4o7L8)

Chester Brown: Louis Riel (http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781894937894/chester-brown/ louis-riel#.Valjc0go6po)

George Goulet: The Trial of Louis Riel (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/400282.The_trial_ of_Louis_Riel)

Jean LaPrairie: Au Temps des Troubles, Louis Riel, & Louis Riel: Resistance of 1885 — LaPrairie’s series can be acquired from the Louis Riel Institute (http://www.louisrielinstitute.com) .

Maggie Siggins: Riel (http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780006394730/maggie-siggins/riel-re-issue?blnBKM=1%23.Umbr7ZREi3A#.VXILYm4o7L8)

You can also use the student-friendly version of Norma Hall’s historical backgrounder A History of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia http://www.gov.mb.ca/ana/pdf/mbmetispolicy/pubs/laa_en.pdf

All of these texts are accessible for multiple learners and approach the land claim issue with different styles.

Applying: Create a mock Supreme Court (http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/res/education/kit-trousse/mt-sp/doc-eng. pdf). Assign nine judges and create two teams: the appellants (those who are appealing) and the respondents (those who are responding to the appeal). The Supreme Court of Canada outlines how a mock trial might take place. Use this as a model, but substitute the criminal aspects of their case with issues in the Métis land claims case. This can be modified in numerous ways. Be sure to have your lawyers brainstorm and create arguments based on the ARE model (Argument, Rationale, and Evidence). Have them create their arguments in groups and rehearse.

Assessment: Students should have a basic understanding of the land claims case and have used this knowledge to create their own arguments and their own analysis of history, using evidence. Have them respond to this article or a current article that deals with Métis land claims. This might be a direct comment on a newspaper’s website, a letter to the editor, or an article for the school’s paper.

16 Strategy 1.3: Placemats Jigsaw Goal: At this end of this lesson, students will enhance their conceptual understanding of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia, Manitoba, Confederation, and the Métis.

Essential Questions: 1.3: How did First Peoples and Europeans interact in the Northwest and what were the results?

2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

3.3: How did Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples change after Confederation?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 3. Identify continuity and change 4. Analyze cause and consequence 5. Take historical perspectives 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

Activating: For this activity, place students into groups of four. Provide each student with a marker and each group of four with a large piece of newsprint or poster paper. Have them create four quadrants like so:

Have them write the following questions into each of the quadrants on their placemats:

1. How was Manitoba created? 2. What was Confederation? 3. Who are the Métis? 4. What was the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia?

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 17 Explain that each person in the group will have a chance to answer each question. Place a timer on the interactive board and allow each person in the group one minute per question. When the minute is up, spin the placemat so that another question is in front of another person. They will then have another minute. This continues until everyone has been able to answer all the questions. At the end, put another minute on the timer. This fifth and last minute is a free-for-all. Participants can feel free to add to any and all quadrants.

At the end of the activity, have each group at their placemat and determine what they know and don’t know about each question, and how their answers varied and/or were similar. Ask each group to select a spokesperson who will share his or her group’s placemat with the rest of the class.

From this point, you can create a master list of all the answers to the questions and all non-answers to the questions. Acquiring: As a class, create a list of things that your class has questions about. Pool these into three or four larger categories and ask who would like to investigate what. You can then assign one group to explore: “Who are the Métis?” another “What is Confederation?” and another “What is the LAA?” (or as the questions present themselves). Together, the class will create a summary. Each group will be able to construct their own page of the resource, answering their specific question. Groups may post written essays, films, podcasts, audiovisual, electronic, or anything that is embeddable and of their own creation. This process may take one period, or it might take two weeks. You will need to determine this based on your knowledge of your specific community.

Each group, however, must use the following type of sources:

1. Text written by a historian 2. An academic secondary source 3. A primary source like the “Sessional Journal of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia”, at (http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/leg_assembly/index.html)

Assessment/Applying: When students are finished, have them review the summary as a group. Find the means to share their outcomes with a larger audience.

Lastly, have the students create a test based on the living textbook they have created.

18 Strategy 1.4: Google Earth and the History of Red River by Streets

Goal: At the end of this lesson, students should have an awareness of the geography associated with the LAA and with the historical legacy that exists today in Winnipeg.

Essential Question: 2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 2. Use primary source evidence 3. Identify continuity and change

Activating: At the beginning of the activity, ask students to think about street names in their community. See if they can think of the historical connections that these names might have. Is the school named after someone famous? Why do we do this? and so on.

Next, show students some of the historical maps located on Manitoba Historical Maps (https://www. flickr.com/photos/manitobamaps/) or via photos from your community (local newspapers will have lots). Explore the maps of Winnipeg and St. Boniface and other communities (especially the maps from around 1870) and ask students what on the maps has changed and what has remained the same.

You can then use Google Earth to see what these streets look like now.

Acquiring: To focus the search and inquiry, now task students to search for streets and roads named after people who lived in Red River at the time of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia. To help them, point them to the Manitoba Historical Society’s page (http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/winnipegstreets/index.shtml), which looks at streets named after famous Manitobans.

Have the students choose a street of one of these individuals, be it someone associated with the LAA, the HBC, or the Canadian government. Students can then do some research on their person/street and present to the rest of the class in a variety of ways, for example, through electronic means, in person, or through a class blog.

Applying: Now that your students have a good understanding of the street and person they have chosen, have them go to this street and take a picture of themselves at that location. Have your students share their photo with a wider audience.

When back in class, display the stream of photos and locate them on a current map of Winnipeg using a paper map or Google Earth (http://www.google.com/earth/). See if the class can see a pattern of where streets are, based on the political positions their person would have taken.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 19 Finally, have groups of students create walking tours of Winnipeg based on the streets you have identified. These might be virtual walking tours or actually planned-out tours that can be put into action. The virtual walking tours will obviously be a great option for learning communities that are outside of Winnipeg.

Assessment: When the walking tours are completed, invite members of the community to come out to take a tour. Walk around with your students and listen to the stories they tell of the people behind the names. If you are not in Winnipeg, have community members come in and give them a walking tour via Google Earth!

These activities can certainly be modified to meet individual community needs and geographic locations.

Library and Archives Canada - St. Boniface, Red River Settlement - William Henry Edward Napier fonds, C-001065

20 Part 2: Welcome McDougall or Stop Him?

It is 1869, two years since Canada became a country. The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has agreed to sell all its British territories and colonies, including the Red River Settlement, to Canada. Canada plans to create a territorial government, with William McDougall appointed as the Lieutenant-Governor. McDougall will have the power to make and enforce all laws in the region without participation from the local population.

McDougall has ordered 350 rifles and ammunition to be brought to Red River. Many think he is hostile toward French and Métis people and will use these rifles to arm a militia made up of newcomers from Ontario. There is fear that the lives and livelihoods of the residents will be negatively affected.

McDougall travels through the United States to reach the Red River Settlement. On October 30, 1869, McDougall reaches Pembina at the border between Assiniboia and the United States.

Should you welcome McDougall or stop him?

Strategy 2.1: Dilemmas Goal: At the end of this lesson, learners will understand what a dilemma is and be able to identify dilemmas faced by individuals and communities, using Canadian and Red River history. Essential Questions: 2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 1. Establish historical significance 3. Identify continuity and change 4. Analyze cause and consequence 5. Take historical perspectives 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

Activating: At the beginning of the class, ask students to research the difference between a dilemma and a problem. A dilemma can be viewed as a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially those that are equally undesirable. Ask students to explore examples of social, political, or any other ethical dilemmas that are not purely personal.

Acquiring: As a class, read the section of Joseph Boyden’s Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont that deals with the arrival of McDougall at the border.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 21 Following this, students could explore the potential options the provisional government had at the time. Was this a dilemma or a problem? If these resources are not available, please consult the historical background essay A History of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (http://www.gov.mb.ca/ ana/pdf/mbmetispolicy/pubs/laa_en.pdf).

Applying: What other dilemmas have you looked at as a class in Canadian History? Did Montcalm face a dilemma? Brock? LaFontaine and Baldwin? Borden, Mackenzie King? Trudeau? In groups, have students investigate a dilemma in Canadian history and present them to the class. Have students explain the context, use primary sources, and identify alternative decisions — the “what-if’s of history!”

Assessment: As a class, create a book called The Great Dilemmas of Canadian History. Host a book launch at the school or local bookstore and have students explain their chapters to the public. Have them compare their chosen dilemma to those faced by the LAA in Red River.

Strategy 2.2: Oral Histories Goal: At the end of this lesson, students will have experienced collecting oral histories based on local Métis experiences.

Essential Questions: 1.3: How did First Peoples and Europeans interact in the Northwest and what were the results?

2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

3.3: How did Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples change after Confederation?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 2. Use primary source evidence 4. Take historical perspectives 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

Activating: After your students have learned about the development of the LAA and its importance in democracy in western Canada, have students research contemporary issues within the Métis community. Explain that students should gather primary research to see if today’s Métis have their own oral histories and stories about the Métis, Red River, Confederation, and francophone culture in western Canada. Refer to Manitoba Metis Federation (http://www.mmf.mb.ca/) or myPEG.ca.

22 Ask students to define “oral history.” Perhaps start off with “What is history?” This might take a few classes to establish. Does all history have to be written down?

Acquiring: Now that students have an understanding in their own minds as to what history might be, focus on the concept of oral histories. A great place to start is with the University of Winnipeg Oral History Centre (http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/oral-history-centre) or research how to conduct a life story/ oral history interview. The staff is eager to work with classrooms, and they offer a wide variety of resources on collecting oral histories. Organize subjects for the students to interview. This could be done through a variety of organizations, such as The Manitoba Metis Federation (http://www. mmf.mb.ca/), The Louis Riel Institute (http://www.louisrielinstitute.com/), the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre (http://www.imfc.net/), and other like-minded community groups. If students are not in Winnipeg, is there a local Métis community? Students, can you use Skype to make connections throughout the province?

Applying: Students will then have to conduct their interviews with someone who has links or connections to the Métis community. This can be done at school, at the Oral History Centre, or in the community, as arranged between the student and the subject. As a learning community, identify questions that might elicit stories of the Métis experience in Manitoba.

In terms of technology, the Oral History Centre has equipment that can be used. Smart phones with Voice Memo will also work. These voice memos can then be placed into a sound-editing program to create a final product. As well, students can create a written transcript. They could then write formal essays telling the stories of the Métis, using the oral history as their primary source. The stories can be brought together as a collection and published in a variety of ways, such as in diaries, journals or blogs.

Assessment: Once the collection of oral histories has been archived, have students invite subjects to participate in a panel discussion hosted by your students. Students should design the questions, the program, and the advertisement campaign for the event. Have your students invite other schools to come and participate. An essay could also be used as part of the assessment.

One essential question throughout the learning experience might be: Why do we sometimes not value oral histories as much as written history?

Strategy 2.3: Thomas Scott — WikiLeaks in 1870?

Goal: At the end of this lesson, students will have a clear understanding of the critical dilemmas and decisions that developed as a result of the political and social divides within Red River in 1869–70.

Essential Question: 3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 23 Historical Thinking Concepts: 2. Use primary source evidence 5. Take historical perspective 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

Activating: Show the students the illustration created for the cover of the Canadian Illustrated News from April 23, 1870 depicting the execution of Thomas Scott on March 4, 1870 (http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001065/f4/48776-v6.gif). Ask the students to analyze the photo.

Identify that the title of the photo is “The Tragedy at Fort Garry.” Ask students what they think about this title. Is it political? Was the execution of Thomas Scott a tragedy? Under what context was this execution carried out?

Did the media report on things fairly back in 1870 and does it do so today? What does the 1870 photo have to do with “Nation Building?” Can you trust illustrations? Can you trust the media? What does it mean to think critically?

Acquiring: Have students find an article pertaining to the Métis from the past, and analyze it according to the Historical Thinking Concepts. A good source of archival newspapers can be found in the Digital Resources on Manitoba History website at (http://manitobia.ca/content/en).

Applying: Ask students to find an example of an event in contemporary Canadian news that has been portrayed from a variety of perspectives. Have them start by looking at a story reported on in the mainstream media. As a starting point, teachers could find a few examples.

Have students present their findings to the rest of the class using the six Historical Thinking Concepts. What is being represented in each source? For what purpose? What is the truth?

Discuss: How is history written, how can history be misrepresented to serve certain ideological needs?

Assessment: Have your students create images that would describe the events of March 4, 1870. What are their motives? What is the truth from their perspective? Host a gallery walk open to the school and/or community, or create a digital gallery and invite feedback from other classes and historians.

24 Part 3: Restore Order, or Anarchy? Governance Choices

Despite his original instructions to wait for official authorization from Canada, William McDougall — waiting at Pembina — sends a proclamation to explain Canada’s intentions and announce his appointment as Lieutenant-Governor over the Northwest Territories.

In a separate document, he urges his supporters to raise an armed force and stop any resistance to his rule. He is also rumoured to have enlisted an armed force of the Sioux (Dakota) tribe to end any resistance. Fear and uncertainty is growing in the settlement.

Should you restore order?

Strategy 3.1: Forms of Government

Goal: At the end of this lesson, learners will have an understanding of various political ideologies and systems of government. Students will develop the necessary political literacy to study the LAA.

Essential Question: 2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 1. Establish historical significance 2. Use primary source evidence 4. Analyze cause and consequence

Activating: Try to identify your students’ experience with various forms of government. Ask them if they have ever travelled to other countries. Some might say they have travelled to the United States. What system of government does it employ? Ask how their student council works. As you elicit information, create a flow chart of authority and decision making on your interactive whiteboard. Ask students how fair and equal other governments can be. Or, start off by asking how government in their school works. At home?

Acquiring: Have students in groups try to identify various forms of government, using the BBC Country Profiles (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/). Give students 10 minutes to find as many different systems as they can. Have each group place two or three countries on a large world map in the classroom and have them explain which country corresponds with which system of government. At this point, students will have questions as about various forms of government (http://www.livescience. com/33027-what-are-the-different-types-of-governments.html).

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 25 Following a general investigation into a variety of forms of government, you can then focus on different forms within Canada (territorial, Indigenous, etc.). Have students investigate the rules of the Buffalo Hunt and how this structure, or form of government, might help to support democracy. Information regarding the governance of the Buffalo Hunt can be found at (http://www.mhs.mb.ca/ docs/pageant/05/buffalohunt.shtml).

As the teacher, you can certainly explain these, or better yet, have students explore for themselves. Students can then create their own document listing these forms of government, including modern Métis forms of governance. Applying: Have students look at the provisional government and the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia through the text of your choice. In addition, have students explore the “Sessional Journal of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/leg_assembly/) via the Manitoba Archives. Ask students to identify the characteristics of the LAA in terms of governance. Assessment: Finally, in groups or as individuals, have students design their own system of government. This can be done on large sheets of chart paper or through electronic means. Alternatively, have students design new systems of government for their school. How should student council be restructured? Where should authority reside?

Strategy 3.2: Sessional Journal of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Goal: At the end of this lesson, students will have an understanding of what the LAA was and be able to contribute to the creation of a collective resource. Students will be able to answer the Essential Question: How did the LAA make laws?

Essential Questions: 1.3: How did First Peoples and Europeans interact in the Northwest and what were the results?

2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 2. Use primary source evidence 5. Take historical perspectives

Activating: As students enter the room, show Question Period on CPAC (http://www.cpac.ca/en/) displayed on your interactive whiteboard. Hopefully this can be live, but if not, have a pre-recorded version playing. Ask them to explain the purpose of Question Period. Is the House always this boisterous? What do you notice about the procedures and the participants? Show a session where a bill is being discussed either in first or second reading. Do they notice a difference? How are bills passed in Canada and in Manitoba?

26 Acquiring: Introduce or review the steps of the legislative process with your students using the Parliament of Canada’s, Our Country, Our Parliament (http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Education/OurCoun- tryOurParliament/html_booklet/process-passing-bill-e.html) resources.

Now that they have an idea of contemporary processes, have them analyze the LAA Sessional Journal (http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/leg_assembly/).

Have students answer the following questions directly from the Manitoba Archives site: • When was the journal written? Was it written at the time of the sitting, beginning with the March 23 session? Was it written at some point after the existence of the Assembly? Use evidence to support your answer.

• Who might have written the journal? The journal is not signed or inscribed in any way to identify its author. Was it William Coldwell, clerk of the Assembly, whose wife’s descendants sold the journal to the Library? Use evidence to support your answer.

Applying: In groups, have students demonstrate in a diagram the legislative process in 1870. Have them create a flow chart to identify how the Manitoba Act would have been passed. Have the students present these to their colleagues and have them explain their rationale for the creation of their flow charts.

Assessment: Create your own web page such as a Wiki. Your learning community will note that there is a very sparse account on Wikipedia for the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Legislative_Assembly_of_Assiniboia). As a group, create a plan to develop an appropriate entry, if possible. This will require some research and investigation on the part of the teacher, as posting on Wikipedia is not as straightforward as other platforms. If you are not comfortable with this, create your own class wiki by using wikispaces (https://www.wikispaces.com/content/classroom) or another collaborative tool. Solicit feedback from other teachers, classes, and historians.

Strategy 3.3: Who are the People in your Neighbourhood? Goal: At the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify the various groups who lived in the late nineteenth century and be able to empathize with the experiences of individuals who may have lived at the time.

Essential Questions: 2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 27 Historical Thinking Concepts: 5. Take a historical perspective 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

Activating: This project is designed to help students see that in every conflict there are many viewpoints to consider; the issues involved are seldom cut and dried or one-dimensional. Tell students they are going to read a graphic novel that underscores the preceding statement.

Acquiring: Introduce a graphic novel such as, Louis Riel which can be found at (http://www.mcnallyrobinson. com/9781770461307/chester-brown/louis-riel#.Va0MSEgo6po) by Chester Brown. It tells the story of Riel and the two Métis resistances of 1869 and 1885.

While they are reading the graphic novel, suggest that students keep lists of reasons why Riel and the LAA made certain decisions and what other prominent historical characters were present.

Applying: After reading and discussing the novel, ask your students to imagine themselves as someone who lived in Red River at the time. Have them use the Hudson’s Bay Company Archive biographical sheets (http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/biographical/).

Students can also read “The Old Settlers of Red River” (http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/transactions/1/ settlers.shtml) from the Manitoba Historical Society, which provides an understanding of the groups living in Red River. The Métis National Council Historical Online Database (http://metisnationdata- base.ualberta.ca/MNC/) would also be an excellent resource. Some students may have Métis roots that they wish to explore.

Challenge your students to write a graphic novel in the persona of the Red River inhabitant they have imagined. In the graphic novel, each student must explain his or her unique perspective on the complex events unfolding. Each novel should show that a sibling, spouse, parent, is noticing the details about a conflict.

Ask a graphic novelist, such as David Alexander Robertson (http://www.darobertson.ca/), to come into your class and help students identify the elements of a graphic novel.

Assessment: Give your students several options for presenting their graphic novels. Option might include the following: • a one-on-one meeting with you • an in-class reading using the interactive whiteboard camera or other hardware • a screencast • an ePub that can be shared with the class • a book launch or gallery walk open to the class, the school, or the community

28 Part 4: Establish a Representative Government?

After seeing the resolve of the provisional government, and in the face of growing controversy in the Ontario population, Canada sent Commissioner Donald A. Smith to Red River to communicate Canada’s openness to negotiation, and to invite delegates of a representative government to Ottawa.

What followed was the Convention of Forty, the second provisional government, which established an even further representative and responsible government. It also contributed to Manitoba’s entry into the Confederation with equal provincial status.

While the Métis struggle for recognition was far from over, the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia did allow Métis terms to be considered.

Strategy 4.1: Contemporary Rights Issues Goal: At the end of this strategy, students will understand the effectiveness of the negotiations carried out in Ottawa that saw the inclusion of Manitoba into Confederation under the terms of the inhabitants of Red River. Students will be able to compare the conflict in 1869–70 with other conflicts in history that deal with issues such as geopolitics, religion, and resources.

Essential Question: 3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 5. Take a historical perspective 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

Activating: When the students arrive, ask them what they know about a contemporary issue in which a group is being denied their rights.

If students have a limited amount of knowledge of the conflict, you can show them interactive maps and infographics charts. It is critical that educators, despite personal opinions, allow students to draw their own conclusions.

Ask students how they would handle the negotiations if they were in charge of finding a possible solution. What would they have to take into consideration? Can they look at both sides objectively?

Following this discussion, ask the students if there are similarities between contemporary Métis conflicts and the conflict in 1869–70 between Red River and Canada. What were the residents of Red River negotiating for?

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 29 Acquiring: Your students may not know much about the negotiators sent to Ottawa. First, have them look up the three negotiators on the Manitoba Historical Society’s “Memorable Manitobans“ site (http://www. mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/ritchot_jn.shtml). You can have groups create biographies on flip chart paper that can then be presented and displayed in the classroom so they may be referred to throughout the lesson.

Next, students will need to understand Canada’s motives and the demands of the LAA. Desmond Morton provides a summary of both sides of the negotiations in his work, A Short History of Canada (99–106) (http://www.amazon.ca/Short-History-Canada-Sixth-Edition/dp/0771064802) or find other sources such as Grade 11 textbook, “Shaping Canada”. A graphic organizer might be useful here for some students in order to separate and make sense of the two positions. This could also be done as a class on an interactive whiteboard. Next, have students look specifically at the “Métis Bill of Rights” (http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/foundation_gr6/blms/6-1-2a.pdf). Were these demands realistic? Were they justified? Why or why not?

You could also compare the “Métis Bill of Rights” with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) and the Canadian Bill of Rights (1960). What is similar? What is different?

Applying: Now that students are aware of past and contemporary conflicts, create a series of debates in your class. The teacher can come up with these, or create them as a class. Have students choose which side they would like to be on and then have them create arguments based on the ARE model (Argument, Reasoning, Evidence). You can set up the debates in a variety of manners, but a simple framework would be as follows:

Preliminary Statements (Stating the Case) — Affirmative Preliminary Statements (Stating the Case) — Negative Rebuttal — Affirmative Rebuttal — Negative Closing Statements — Negative Closing Statements — Affirmative

You can do this within the class itself or via voice recording applications.

As the speaker, the teacher should ensure that timelines are adhered to and that people are being polite and respectful.

Assessment: Record the debates via video or via a voice-capturing application. Have groups of debaters listen to their debates and critique their own performance based on a criteria that you have developed as a learning community. Guiding Questions might include: What did you learn about peace, conflict, and negotiations? What did you learn about history? What did you learn about yourselves as historians? What did you learn about how history is written? Have students reflect on these questions via a journal or a blog, or in an interview with you. You can provide them with feedback through a variety of means, depending on how you have negotiated your assessment tool with your group.

30 Strategy 4.2: Organizing Madness Goal: At the end of this lesson, learners will have looked at a variety of scenarios that might have ensued if delegates were not sent to Ottawa and/or if Assiniboia/Red River had joined the United States.

Essential Question: 3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 5. Take historical perspectives 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history Activating: Have students imagine that Manitoba, or wherever they may live, is not part of Confederation. Create a backstory as to what happened with their province that has a significantly different outcome than the current situation. For example, come into class under the premise that Manitoba did not negotiate with Ottawa or the Americans and became its own country under the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia. Refer to Ernest Callenbach’s Ecotopia (http://static1.squarespace.com/static/521b7c54e- 4b0e63c9a89da62/t/53e2ffd8e4b038bdcd546300/1407385560344/Callenbach%2C+Ernest+-+Eco- topia.pdf) for these types of activating activities. You can even give out identification cards to students and come up with a whole story of how and why everyone is in the classroom.

In pairs, have students brainstorm different scenarios, or alternative history, if the LAA had not agreed to send the three delegates to Ottawa. Have them create a history and current story about what this area of the world might look like socially, politically, ecologically, etc. Have students think about the different groups living in Red River: the resources, the land, gender, religion, culture, and so on. Students can write their stories, or simply present their ideas to the rest of the class.

Acquiring: At this point, students may need to learn a bit more about the three different sessions of the LAA. Have the students go through documents on the LAA website. Other information related to the sessions of the LAA found at the Manitoba Archives website (http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/ leg_assembly/). You can also direct them to Norma Hall’s website (https://hallnjean2.wordpress.com/ chronology-the-resistance-during-1870-march-july/the-legislative-assembly-of-assiniboia/), which is an excellent resource on the provisional government and the LAA.

Have your students take a look at the census data from 1870. Who would have lived in Red River in 1869–70? Have them produce a graphic organizer such as Infographic, found at https://infogr.am/ or any site to have their statistics visualized, and they can see how they are able to display data using media and statistics.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 31 Applying: Now that they have completed their graphic organizer and have posted or embedded it to their website or blog, have students think of what that graph might look like if Manitoba had not joined Confederation under the terms of the LAA. Have them embed this onto their website or blog and share with the class.

Assessment: As a group, discuss the differences between each graph. What was significant about the LAA’s decision to negotiate with the Canadian government? Did the Canadian government follow through on all the articles of agreement? Assess the learners’ understanding of the critical role of the LAA and why the Métis may have resisted Canadian western expansion.

Library and Archives Canada - Plan of River Lots in the Parishes of St. John, St. James and St. Boniface, Province of Manitoba - Microfiche NMC23464 - Cartographic material Box 2000218854 - Local class no. H2/535/St. John/1875(1874)

32 Part 5: Join Confederation?

The delegates have arrived in Ottawa with a List of Rights outlining the conditions under which the Red River settlement will enter confederation. Delegates have been directed to negotiate Assiniboia’s entrance into Confederation as a province (not territory), safeguard French and English language rights, and ensure a land base for the Métis.

The conditions requested from Canada also include amnesty for all members of the provisional government and those acting under them. One man was executed by the provisional government and many people were imprisoned. Canada could lay criminal charges for these actions, or worse, charge members with treason.

A special meeting of the Legislative Assembly is convened on June 24, 1870 to hear the report of Abbé Ritchot, the first delegate to have returned from negotiations with Ottawa. Ritchot submits the Manitoba Act for the Assembly’s consideration and assures that it meets the terms outlined in the List of Rights. However, there is no promise of amnesty.

How should Riel vote? Should he recommend ratifying the Manitoba Act or demand amnesty first?

Strategy 5.1: Rebellion, Revolution, or Resistance — Stereotypes about Canadians Goal: Students will look at the concepts of rebellion, revolution, and resistance and use these parameters to look at the conflict in Red River and other conflicts within Canada, including the “Idle No More” and the “Occupy” movements.

Essential Questions: 2.2: How did the fur trade, European settlement, and the rise of the Métis Nation transform life for the peoples of the Northwest?

3.1: Why did the Métis resist the westward expansion of Canada and what were the consequences?

3.3: How did Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples change after Confederation?

Historical Thinking Concepts: 1. Establish historical significance 2. Use primary source evidence 3. Identify continuity and change 4. Analyze cause and consequence 5. Take historical perspectives 6. Understand the ethical dimensions of history

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 33 Activating: Find a video or article about commonly held stereotypes about Canadians, such as Rick Mercer’s “Talking to Americans” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFgPX0hnNfA).

Ask your learners what questions they have dealt with in Canadian History thus far that average Canadians would not know.

Ask your students whether or not they feel the events at Red River in Assiniboia in 1869–70 were a rebellion, revolution, or resistance. What are the differences?

Acquiring: A conceptual analysis of each might be needed, whereby students could break up into groups, identify what is not a revolution (or resistance, rebellion) and what is, and provide examples. Students can look at contemporary and historical examples in Canada and beyond.

Once they have defined what each of these concepts are, ask them to explain how the actions of the Métis — including the actions of the LAA — constituted a rebellion, revolution, or resistance movement.

Applying: Have students go out into the community in pairs and ask people for their thoughts on whether the events surrounding the creation of the LAA constituted a rebellion, a revolution, or a resistance movement. Students should anticipate that many people would not know what the LAA, Red River Settlement, or the provisional government were, so they will have to explain the context, in their own words. Why would people have different perspectives? How do you develop different perspectives?

Assessment: Students can then create a five-minute video of their adventures in seeking answers to their question. Host an event at school where all the students and staff can come and watch the students. Assess how the students explain the context in the film and their opinions on the question.

Be sure to assess critical thinking and historical skills, as well as content knowledge.

34 Resources

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia:

A History of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia is an essay that describes the context for, structure and proceedings of the assembly. http://www.legislativeassemblyofassiniboia.ca/sites/default/files/laaessay_eng.pdf The Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Portrait is a visual representation of the members which currently hangs in the Manitoba Legislature. http://www.legislativeassemblyofassiniboia.ca/sites/default/files/legofassiniboiaportraitlarge.pdf The Compilation of Biographies: Members of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia is a guide to who the members were or may have been (where the historical record was not clear). http://www.legislativeassemblyofassiniboia.ca/sites/default/files/laabiographies.pdf The Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Debates is an edited transcription of the debates that took place in the assembly, reconstituted from several sources. http://www.legislativeassemblyofassiniboia.ca/sites/default/files/laadebates.pdf The Convention of Forty Debates is an edited transcription of the debates that took place in the second provisional government in the settlement before the Legislative Assembly Assiniboia. http://www.legislativeassemblyofassiniboia.ca/sites/default/files/conventionof40debates.pdf The Sessional Journal of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia can be found in the Archives of Manitoba. http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/leg_assembly/index.html?print Footnoted versions of both the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Debates and Convention of Forty Debates can be found in the Manitoba Legislative Library. Hall, Norma, Provisional Government of Assiniboia: Acknowledging the Contribution of Original North American Peoples to the Creation of Manitoba is an extensive resource on the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia and events leading up to it. https://hallnjean2.wordpress.com/chronology-the-resistance- during-1870-march-july/the-legislative-assembly-of-assiniboia/

Books:

Boyden, Joseph. Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont. Toronto, ON: Penguin Canada, 2010. Brown, Chester. Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books, 2003. Goulet, George. Justice and Mercy Denied add pub. Info, The Trial of Louis Riel info. LaPrairie, J. Série sur l’histoire métisse illustrée Morton, Desmond A Short History of Canada. 6th Edition. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart, 2006. Siggins, M. Riel: A life of revolution. Harper Collins: Toronto, 1994.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 35 Archives: City of Winnipeg Library (http://wpl.winnipeg.ca/library/)

Collections Canada (http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/results/images?module=images&action=results&Language=eng&form=images_simple&lang=eng&startRecord=1&sortBy=- score+desc&digitalContentInd=1&query=Métis &mediaType=1200) Gabriel Dumont Institute Virtual Museum (http://www.metismuseum.ca/) Hudson’s Bay Company Archives (http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/) Primary documents from the Hudson’sBay Company.

Métis National Council Historical Online Database (http://Métis nationdatabase.ualberta.ca/MNC/)

Articles/ Links: Barkwell, Lawrie (http://www.scribd.com/lbarkwell) Lawrie Barkwell is the Coordinator of Métis Heritage and History Research for the Louis Riel Institute.

BBC Country Profiles(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/). This is an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions.

Manitoba Historical Society –Red River Buffalo Hunt http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/pageant/05/ buffalohunt.shtml Manitoba Historical Society has compiled a collection of biographies of noteworthy Manitobans from the past. Canada in the Contemporary World - This resource can also be connected with the Grade 9 Social Studies (http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/foundation_gr9/) curriculum in Manitoba. This document was produced by Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, in collaboration with Manitoba educators. It includes the core concept citizenship, and identifies general and specific learning outcomes. Ecotopia - This is a seminal utopian novel by Ernest Callenbach, published in 1975. The society described in the book is one of the first ecological utopias and was influential on the counterculture and the green movement in the 1970s and thereafter. (http://www.ecotopiatilff.be/topic/callenbach-ernest-ecotopia.pdf) Livescience - Forms of government (http://www.livescience.com/33027-what-are-the-different- types-of-governments.html). Live Science features groundbreaking developments in science, space, technology, health, the environment, our culture and history. Sciencemag.org Article by Harden, G. (1968). Tragedy of the Commons. Science Magazine, retrieved from: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/162/3859/1243.full This resource may be adapted for the Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum in Manitoba; it focuses on the development of Canada as a modern nation. (http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/posters/ gr6_cluster1.pdf)

36 Desmond Morton, one of Canada’s most noted and highly respected historians, shows how the choices we can make at the dawn of the 21st century have been shaped by history. A Short History of Canada (99–106) is available at (http://www.amazon.ca/Short-History-Canada-Sixth-Edition/ dp/0771064802) Dylan Wiliams on Assessment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3HRvFsZHoo) (video). Dylan Williams stresses the importance of formative assessment as a key process for increasing teacher quality whilst having the biggest impact on student outcomes. The Métis Bill of Rights, Source: From the Papers of Alexander Begg, Red River Settlement historian available at (http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/foundation_gr6/blms/6-1-2a.pdf) Question Period on CPAC (http://www.cpac.ca/en/). CPAC is the Cable Public Affairs Channel, it is Canada’s only privately-owned, commercial free, not for profit, bilingual licensed television service.

Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/) SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform based in Berlin, Germany, that enables its users to upload, record, promote, and share their originally-created sounds. Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning Grade 11 History of Canada: Foundation for Implemen- tation. (http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/history_gr11/document.pdf) Manitoba Historical Maps (http://www.flickr.com/photos/manitobamaps/) Manitoba Historical Society (www.mhs.mb.ca) A collection of articles and resources related to Manitoba’s history.

Mercer, Rick, “Talking to Americans” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFgPX0hnNfA) Parliament of Canada (http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Education/OurCountryOurParlia- ment/TeacherGuide/activities-sect2-e.asp) Vintage Winnipeg is an archive of vintage photos, available at (http://vintagewinnipeg.ca/)

Community Organizations: Louis Riel Institute (http://www.louisrielinstitute.com/) The Louis Riel Institute was created by an Act of the Manitoba Legislature, on November 3, 1995. It was created as a charitable non-profit organization, the institute which promotes the educational and cultural advancement of the Métis.

Manitoba Metis Federation (http://www.mmf.mb.ca/) The Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) is the official democratic and self-governing political representative for the Métis Nation’s Manitoba Métis Community.

Riel House is a National Historic site; information is available at (http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ mb/riel/visit.aspx) Robertson, David Alexander (http://www.darobertson.ca/”www.darobertson.ca) David Alexander Robertson, is of Irish, Scottish, English, and Cree heritage, is a graphic novelist and writer who has long been an advocate for educating youth on indigenous history and contemporary issues.

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Teacher’s Guide - 37 Tourisme Riel (http://tourismeriel.com/en) Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba (http://www.trcm.ca/) University of Winnipeg Oral History Centre (http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/oral-history-centre)

Technology: Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) Audacity is a free open source digital audio editor and recording computer software application,

Blurb (www.blurb.com) On Blurb you can create and publish a book, magazine or ebook with using a self-publishing platform.

Edmodo (www.edmodo.com) Edmodo is an educational website that takes the ideas of a social network and refines them and makes it appropriate for a classroom.

Google Earth (http://www.google.com/earth/) Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program.

Google Maps (https://maps.google.ca/) Google Maps is a desktop web mapping service. It offers satellite imagery, street maps, 360° panoramic views of streets, real-time traffic conditions, and route planning for traveling by foot, car, bicycle or public transportation.

Voicethread (http://voicethread.com/) Ed.VoiceThread is a web-based communications network built specifically for K-12 Students and Educators

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Assembly_of_Assiniboia) Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia page.

Wikispaces (www.wikispaces.com) Create your own wikis.

ISBN 978-1-927531-09-9