Métis leader Louis Riel was hanged in 1885 for treason
after leading the North West Resistance. Today, opinions
of Riel have changed and many consider this man to be the
"Father of Manitoba" and in 2023, the Manitoba Government
passed legislation declaring him the honorary 1
st
premier of
Manitoba. His life is commemorated during Louis Riel Day,
which is a provincial holiday celebrated annually on the third
Monday of February.
Premier Wab Kinew is Canada's first First Nations premier,
elected in 2023. Winnipeg itself has Canada's largest urban
Indigenous population.
Another prominent local politician, Nahanni Fontaine,
a member of the Sagkeeng Anicinabe First Nation, is
the first Indigenous woman to be House Leader of any
Legislature or Parliament in Canadian history.
