Question by smf: What are 3 reason why Louis Riel was considered a good guy?
and if you are so inclined, what are 3 reasons why he was a bad guy?

Best answer:

Answer by El
Louis Riel (22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies.[1] He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. Riel sought to preserve Métis rights and culture as their homelands in the Northwest came progressively under the Canadian sphere of influence. He is regarded by many as a Canadian folk hero today.

Riel’s execution and Macdonald’s refusal to commute his sentence caused lasting upset in Quebec, and led to a fundamental alteration in the Canadian political order. In Quebec, Honoré Mercier[64] exploited discontent over Riel’s execution to reconstitute the Parti National. This party, which promoted Quebec nationalism, won a majority in the 1886 Quebec election by winning a number of seats formerly controlled by the Quebec Conservative Party. The federal election of 1887 likewise saw significant gains by the federal Liberals, again at the expense of the Conservatives. This led to the victory of the Liberal party under Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the federal election of 1896, which in turn set the stage for the domination of Canadian federal politics by the Liberal party in the 20th century. That Riel’s name still has resonance in Canadian politics was evidenced on November 16, 1994, when Suzanne Tremblay, a Bloc Québécois member of parliament, introduced private members’ bill C-228, “An Act to revoke the conviction of Louis David Riel”.[65] The unsuccessful bill was widely perceived in English Canada as an attempt to arouse support for Quebec nationalism prior to the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty.

A resolution was passed by parliament citing that Louis Riel was the Founder of Manitoba on 10 March 1992.[75] Two statues of Riel are located in Winnipeg.[76] One of the Winnipeg statues, the work of architect Étienne Gaboury and sculptor Marcien Lemay, depicts Riel as a naked and tortured figure. It was unveiled in 1970 and stood in the grounds of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for 23 years. After much outcry (especially from the Métis community) that the statue was an undignified misrepresentation, the statue was removed and placed at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface. It was replaced in 1994 with a statue designed by Miguel Joyal depicting Riel as a dignified statesman. A statue of Riel on the grounds of the Saskatchewan legislative building in Regina was installed and later removed for similar reasons. The unveiling ceremony was on 16 May 1996, in Winnipeg.

of course there’s no doubt he was crazy but that doesn’t make him a bad man.

During these years, he was frustrated by having to remain in exile despite his growing belief that he was a divinely chosen leader and prophet, a belief which would later resurface and influence his actions. He married in 1881 while in exile in Montana, and fathered two children.

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