Louis Riel. The Red River Rebellion. The birth of Manitoba. Paul & Ritchie follow the rise, exile, and return of the Métis leader whose fight for land, language, and political recognition reshaped the Canadian West, and still divides Canada today.

From the fur trade world of the Red River Settlement to the creation of a Métis provisional government, the episode traces how Ottawa’s push west collided with Métis rights and local self-rule. You will hear why the Thomas Scott execution became a national flashpoint, how the Manitoba Act attempted a compromise, and what drove the tensions that erupted again in 1885 during the North-West Resistance, ending in Riel’s trial and execution.

In this episode

• Who the Métis were, and why land surveys and “paper borders” mattered

• Red River, Upper Fort Garry, and the provisional government

• Thomas Scott and the political backlash in Ontario and Quebec

• The Manitoba Act, bilingualism, and promises made to Métis families

• Saskatchewan, land petitions, Duck Lake, and the road to 1885

• Trial strategy, treason, and how Riel’s legacy changed over time

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