WINNIPEG -Manitoba’s Opposition wants to give the title of honorary first premier to Metis leader Louis Riel. NDP Leader Wab Kinew has put forward a private member’s bill that would bestow the title and require Riel’s contributions be part of the school curriculum. Riel is widely celebrated in Manitoba for leading a provisional government and paving the way for the province’s entry into Confederation in the 19th century. There is a large statue of Riel behind the legislature and the Royal Canadian Mint issued a new coin in October that features his portrait. Riel was central to the Red River and North-West resistances to assert Indigenous rights, and was hanged in Saskatchewan in 1885 for treason. Kinew’s bill would need government support to become law and it’s not expected to…
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