The Metis community in the Batoche area petitioned the government to establish an industrial school to provide technical training in agriculture between 1888 and 1890. The Metis were interested in learning about mechanized farming and trades. The government and clergy opposed this school. Many Metis felt discriminated against by the government because First Nations peoples had received governmental aid in the agricultural sector.
The government’s unwillingness to provide aid is particularly significant because in the 1880s many Metis peoples were attempting to transition to agriculture. It is worth noting that although the Metis desired similar aid that Treaty signatories received, the industrial schools attended by First Nations peoples did not result in farming skills or opportunities.