Manitoba became a province of Canada in 1870, three years after the Confederation of Canada in 1867. While we have an orderly system of government, possibly our most compelling part of history was the Riel Rebellion.
In 1869, Louis Riel, a Metis (Scottish/Native mix), led a rebellion against the Hudson Bay Company, claiming that the Metis rights were being ignored. He seized Upper Fort Garry and declared a provisional government. The HBC had been operating under a charter granted by the British for in 1670, obtaining furs from the area from both the First Nations (primarily Cree and Objibwa) and the Metis. The government of Canada relented and granted the Metis rights under the Manitoba Act of 1870.
Following this, many ethnic groups began emigrating to the area, including the Icelandic, Ukrainian, German and Mennonite populations, some under specific charters. Prior, the “white population primarily had been Scottish, English and French.
In 1817, Chief Peguis, a First Nations dominant chief, agreed to share land with the white newcomers, opening the door to a mass influx of arrivals over the next 90 years. At one point, Winnipeg was the third largest city in Canada.
But the new immigrants, particularly after the Riel rebellion, tended to treat the natives and the Metis poorly, discriminating against them. Over a thirty-five year period, several treaties were signed with the First Nations, with much of the promises reneged upon or unfulfilled. For instance, the Peguis reserve, originally designated on rich agricultural land near Upper Fort Garry and the new community later known as Selkirk, was taken back from the band and they were relocated onto very marginal land sixty miles into the wilderness.
While American history is replete with examples of violence and genocide directed against the native populations, Manitoba’s history is one that involved assimilation (Metis, and residential schools), and a fairly peaceful history of cooperation by the natives (See Ramsay story in the Riverton page).
Manitoba grew slowly over the next one hundred and fifty years, developing a mixed economy which makes it less prone to market swings. This stability discourages a boom-to-bust job market, but also does not offer a wealth of job opportunities in specific fields. Thus, it is better for job seekers and new arrivals to research opportunities in specific fields before arriving.
Today, Manitoba has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in North America. An illustration of this is the annual summer celebration, Folklorama. This festival highlights the cultures of more than forty ethnic groups each year, with some groups dropping out and new ones forming periodically.
We are proud to claim one of the highest percentages (not absolute numbers) of Filipino and Indian populations in North America, have the second highest percentage of First Nations people in Canada, and have large populations of German, Chinese, various African, Various Latin American, Polish, Middle eastern and Scandinavian people.