Manitoba
Entered Confederation: 1870
Before 1870, the Hudson's Bay Company owned a huge area in the western part of what is now Canada. This area contained Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory. The people of the Red River Colony in the southern part of Rupert's Land were Métis. They wanted their own government for one main reason:
- When the Canadian government bought Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory the Métis were afraid that they would lose their rights. If they had their own government it would be easier to keep their way of life.
They chose a man named Louis Riel to lead them. He set up a government and would not let people from the Government of Canada take control of the new Northwest Territories. Riel wanted to make sure that the Métis would be consulted. He sent people to Ottawa to make an agreement with the Canadian government. They decided to make Manitoba a province.
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