Metis Outmigration from Manitoba

Summary

Several factors combined to incite a spike in outmigration of Metis peoples between 1872-1874 from the Red River region. They include: delays and frustrations over the slow granting of Metis land promised in the Manitoba Act, poor crop returns in the early 1870s and high Metis mortality resulting from social determinants of health such as malnutrition and psychological stress. The factors which undermined agricultural success in Red River are outlined below in the "The Metis Nation: Buffalo Hunting vs. Agriculture in the Red River Settlement" entry under "relevant resources."

Result

D.N. Sprague along with other historians have argued that government mistreatment, most notably the systematic, strategic or deliberate delays in providing Metis peoples with land—as was agreed under the Manitoba Act—influenced this migration. Diane Payement indicates that another factor that may have influenced Metis migrations from Manitoba was their loss of political power in the province as more Euro-Canadian settlers entered the new province. Using various examples, Gerhard Ens argues that the government’s delays in settling with Metis land claims influenced the outmigration, but argues the delays were not deliberate and were not the only factor that incited the migrations. However, Sprague notes that John A. MacDonald disclosed his plans to delay land distribution through scrip in correspondence with John Rose in February of 1870: " “these impulsive half breeds have got spoilt by their emeute [riot], and must be kept down by a strong hand until they are swamped by the influx of settlers." One of the ways in which this "strong hand" was maintained was through the denial of community control of land claims - another is ongoing amendments to the Manitoba Act.

Implications
Many French Metis individuals migrated from Manitoba into present-day Saskatchewan, largely to pursue remaining bison herds further west.
Date
1872-00-00