{"id":102112,"date":"2026-02-19T08:59:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/?p=102112"},"modified":"2026-02-19T08:59:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:59:04","slug":"growing-sense-of-identity-boosts-louis-riel-day-turnout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/growing-sense-of-identity-boosts-louis-riel-day-turnout\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing sense of identity boosts Louis Riel Day turnout"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader Organizers of the annual Louis Riel Day celebrations in Portage la Prairie say a surge in M\u00e9tis pride and citizenship is driving record-breaking crowds to the community\u2019s festivities. Wes Hannah, chairman of the Portage la Prairie Southwest M\u00e9tis Local, said Monday\u2019s event at the MNP Building at Island Park was the result of months of planning and a growing sense of identity within the region. Hannah noted that citizenship in the local region has jumped significantly, rising from approximately 2,000 members last year to more than 2,500 today. “I think there’s a new thought out there that M\u00e9tis are proud of who they are,” Hannah said. “People are noticing the programs that we are providing. They want to go ahead… <\/p>\n

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By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader Organizers of the annual Louis Riel Day celebrations in Portage la Prairie say a surge in M\u00e9tis pride and citizenship is driving record-breaking crowds to the community\u2019s festivities. Wes Hannah, chairman of the Portage la Prairie Southwest M\u00e9tis Local, said Monday\u2019s event at the MNP Building at Island Park was the result of months of planning and a growing sense of identity within the region. Hannah noted that citizenship in the local region has jumped significantly, rising from approximately 2,000 members last year to more than 2,500 today. “I think there’s a new thought out there that M\u00e9tis are proud of who they are,” Hannah said. “People are noticing the programs that we are providing. They want to go ahead... <\/p>\n

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Log in here<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":101363,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news","category-ticker","pmpro-level-required","pmpro-level-3","pmpro-level-2","pmpro-level-5","pmpro-level-4","pmpro-level-6","pmpro-level-7","pmpro-no-access"],"yoast_head":"\nGrowing sense of identity boosts Louis Riel Day turnout - The Turtle Island News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/growing-sense-of-identity-boosts-louis-riel-day-turnout\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Growing sense of identity boosts Louis Riel Day turnout - The Turtle Island News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader Organizers of the annual Louis Riel Day celebrations in Portage la Prairie say a surge in M\u00e9tis pride and citizenship is driving record-breaking crowds to the community\u2019s festivities. Wes Hannah, chairman of the Portage la Prairie Southwest M\u00e9tis Local, said Monday\u2019s event at the MNP Building at Island Park was the result of months of planning and a growing sense of identity within the region. Hannah noted that citizenship in the local region has jumped significantly, rising from approximately 2,000 members last year to more than 2,500 today. “I think there’s a new thought out there that M\u00e9tis are proud of who they are,” Hannah said. “People are noticing the programs that we are providing. 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