Honourable senators, this morning the Metis flag was raised on Parliament Hill in front of the East Block to mark the anniversary of the hanging of Louis David Riel. In Manitoba, Metis people and Franco-Manitobans are gathering at his grave to pay their respects.

A great Metis leader and a key figure in Canada's history, Riel was born in Saint-Boniface in the Red River colony in what is now Manitoba. Driven by his vision and a profound devotion to the Metis people and their cause, he led two resistance movements against the colonial powers of his day, first at the Red River colony in 1869 and 1870, and then at Batoche, Saskatchewan, in 1885.

As the founding father of the Province of Manitoba, Louis Riel sacrificed his life in defence of the rights of the people of Red River: the Metis, the Indigenous peoples, francophones and anglophones. He dreamed of creating a society in which all Canadians could live in harmony.

This afternoon, I am very proud to pay tribute to the determination and wisdom of a political figure who fought passionately to protect his people and defend minority rights in Canada, a value central to the Senate of Canada's role.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.