Economic Disadvantagement in the Aftermath of the North-West Resistance for the Métis

In 1885 certain land rights were extended to Métis peoples outside Manitoba. According to the amended resolutions, every head of family living in the Northwest Territories on 15 July 1870 would receive a homestead grant of 160 acres or a scrip certificate valued at $160. The children of these heads of families would be entitled to 240 acres of land or $240 of scrip. The 1885 Resistance placed many Métis peoples in the Batoche region in jail. This severely hindered the ability of families to survive economically. Economic difficulties were compounded by a weak environment for economic sustenance and development in the late 1880s - the near-extinction of the buffalo and poor agricultural conditions. Many Métis peoples sold their scrip in exchange for food and clothing, leaving a limited land base for Métis communities. This situation led to long term poverty, as many Métis peoples ended up living on road allowances and in other areas outside of Batoche.