2019 Canada Dollar Special Edition Louis Riel Father of Manitoba Proof Silver

This year's special edition proof dollar highlights the contributions of Louis Riel (1844-1885), and those of the Métis Nation, to the story of Canada. A defender of Métis rights and a catalyst for change, Louis Riel was born 175 years ago in Saint-Boniface, in the province he later founded. In fact, it was 150 years ago that the National Committee led by Riel drafted an initial list of rights for the Métis Nation—a declaration in which land claims and language rights were preconditions to Manitoba's entry into Confederation.

This coin, which commemorates Louis Riel's place in history, is a celebration of the cultural legacy of the Métis Nation and its resilience. The struggles of the past haven't disappeared; they continue to echo through generations. There is hope, however, through the acknowledgement of Canada's troubled history and in the recognition of a founding people's sacrifices

Louis Riel was born on 22 October 1844 in Saint-Boniface, in present-day Manitoba. During the Red River Resistance of 1869-1870, the Provisional Government of Assiniboia (under Riel's leadership) negotiated Manitoba's entry into Confederation, which was contingent on the recognition of Métis rights and land claims. While the Manitoba Act became law in 1870, the execution of Thomas Scott cast a pall over the provisional government and Riel was forced into exile. He returned to Batoche (Saskatchewan) to lead a second armed resistance movement, the 1885Northwest Resistance, which ended in defeat against federal troops. He was charged with high treason and hanged on 16 November 1885. Today, Riel is remembered as a champion of Métis nationhood and rights, and since 1992, the founding father of Manitoba.