Manitoba history is important to know before making a decision – Winnipeg Free Press

Opinion

Colonel Garnet Wolseley was an anti-French, anti-Catholic, anti-Métis fanatic. During the Red River Expedition in the summer of 1870, the decorated British military commander, who led about 1,200 troops into Manitoba, hoped to illegally capture and hang Metis leader Louis Riel (except he never caught him).

He wrote publicly after some of his troops—predominantly white, Protestant, English-speaking volunteer militia from Ontario—landed on the banks of the Red River and terrorized members of the Métis community, killing some and physically assaulting others. Wolseley defended his men's actions, claiming that they were mostly good behavior.

The field commander mocked Riel and the Métis, who later fought and succeeded in asserting their land, language and political rights in the Canadian Constitution of 1870. He questioned whether Riel was really Métis and said he was taking advantage of his “ignorant” followers. .

Wolseley did not make a positive contribution to Manitoba. He fanned the flames of bigotry and racism and showed contempt for the people of the Red River settlement, the vast majority of whom were Métis. There are good reasons to question why a school in the Wolseley neighborhood is still named after him.

Contrary to erroneous historical accounts, Wolseley's troops were not tasked with overthrowing the provisional government established by the Métis during the Red River Resistance of 1869-70—at least not officially. There was nothing to overturn.

When Wolseley's men arrived at the Red River in late August 1870, Riel and a provisional government with a broad representation of English- and French-speaking communities were negotiating the terms of Manitoba's entry into Canada.

The Manitoba Act received royal assent on May 12, 1870. Manitoba officially became part of Canada on July 15. Wolseley's troops arrived on 29 August. The Métis armed rebellion was long over.

The Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia, formed by the Red River people, was blessed to rule until a new Lieutenant Governor Adams Archibald from Ottawa was installed. There was to be a peaceful transition of power between the Provisional Government and Archibald. However, the Queen's representative did not arrive until nine days after Wolseley's arrival (his official reason remains a mystery, but may have been deliberate).

Officially, the Wolseley Expedition was a peace mission to establish Canadian sovereignty in the new province of Manitoba. Wolseley even sent a statement to Red River before his arrival, saying that his sole aim was a peaceful campaign to secure equal treatment for all people in the new province.

John MacDonald, the Canadian Prime Minister at the time, said that the military would be deployed “in the spirit of the enemy”. However, Wolseley and his troops were anything but peaceful. They were looking for a fight, but when they didn't find any, they terrorized the Metis on the streets of Winnipeg, known as the “reign of terror.”

As Manitobans learn more about the British commander and what he stood for, there is renewed interest in renaming the Wolseley School. This is part of the question of whether or not it is appropriate to change the names of public buildings, streets, or other landmarks when the actions of historical figures are inconsistent with current values.

This is a heated debate. Where do you draw the line? Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau presented a “white paper” in 1969 aimed at eliminating indigenous rights. However, Canadians name landmarks after him, including Montreal's international airport.

Manitoba Métis Federation opposes renaming of Wolseley landmarks. The MMF acknowledges the warlord's terror of Métis. However, he believes erasing his identity could do more harm than good.

“It is important to preserve these names so that we can use them to inform about the suffering of our ancestors,” said MMF President David Chartrand in 2020. “Using these historical figures, we can ensure our true history and that the history of colonialism is not repeated.”

Fair point.

It is important to better understand the history of Manitoba and Canada so that we can have more informed discussions about the historical obligations to Indigenous peoples and what actions must be taken today to fulfill those responsibilities.

There will be some exciting news coming out soon about a book I'm writing that will help with this cause, including details about Wolseley and the role of Indigenous people in shaping Manitoba's entry into Canada.

Most Manitobans and Canadians do not have a good understanding of their own history, especially about Indigenous people. It is important to do this if we want to build a respectful and just society.

Whether this should include renaming public landmarks is a gray area worthy of debate. If nothing else, it might pique the interest of people who want to learn more about the true background of their province and country.

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Tom Brodbeck
Appraiser

Tom has been covering Manitoba politics since the early 1990s and joined the Winnipeg Free Press news team in 2019.

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