Nov. 16 marked the 140th anniversary of Louis Riel’s execution at the age of 44. Riel was the political and religious leader of the Métis and defender of the territorial and cultural rights of his people in the Canadian Prairies.

Riel was tried for treason following the North-West Rebellion of 1885, but his death can’t be reduced to a mere historical event. Rather, it provides an opportunity to revisit a defining moment in modern Canadian history and to assess how the issues he raised — sovereignty, land rights and cultural pluralism — remain deeply relevant to this day.

Far from being confined to archives or history books, Riel regularly reappears in political debates, artistic creations and discussions of Canadian identity.

As director of the Centre for Canadian Studies at Stockholm University, I have noticed students’ interest in issues related to multilingualism in Canada, particularly the creation of the Canadian Confederation. One of my areas of research concerns Indigenous cultures’ struggle for visibility..

Riel occupies a unique place in Canada’s collective memory. Born into a community that emerged from the intermingling of Indigenous Peoples and European settlers, he became the spokesperson for a distinct cultural space, attached to its lands, traditions and language.

In the Red River Rebellion of 1869 and then in the North-West Rebellion of 1885, he defended the legitimacy of the Métis people who were seeking to preserve their autonomy amid state expansion towards the West.

Behind the military conflict were two opposing views of the country. One was the vision of a national construction project centred on strong federal power and........

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