Mayor of Toronto apologises to the Métis people for City’s role in the 1885 Northwest Resistance
TORONTO, August 22, 2022 – Today, at the Métis Nation of Ontario Annual General Assembly in Toronto, Mayor John Tory offered an apology to the Métis people on behalf of the City of Toronto for its role in contributing to the militarized action against Métis people during the Northwest Resistance of 1885, in what is now Saskatchewan.
Read the full apology at www.toronto.ca/Reconciliation.
In 1885, hundreds of members of the Queen’s Own Rifles and Royal Grenadiers, Canadian Army Reserve Units based in Toronto, were deployed as part of Canada’s efforts to suppress the Northwest Resistance. The City financially contributed to Canada’s efforts to suppress the Northwest Resistance by providing supplies to Canadian Militia troops. When the Queen’s Own Rifles and Royal Grenadiers returned to Toronto, claiming victory, the City organized and funded a grand parade to celebrate. At the event, the mayor, surrounded by City Council, made a speech honouring the soldiers. The mayor hosted the first Monument Committee meeting at City Hall to begin working on a statue to commemorate the soldiers. After that committee disbanded and another group took up the cause years later, the City financially contributed to the monument that is still standing in Toronto today. All of these actions by the City – funding, celebrating and commemorating the quashing of the Northwest Resistance – contributed to the overall milieu of hostility towards the Métis, with the impacts still being felt today.
This apology is the result of engagement with the Métis community in Toronto, who described the history and present impact of the City’s actions and asked for an apology. It also represents the City’s commitment to honouring truth, as part of its efforts towards advancing truth, justice and reconciliation. In April 2022, when City Council adopted the City’s first Reconciliation Action Plan, City Council also acknowledged the City’s role in contributing to the militarized action against Métis people in the 1880s, and requested the Mayor to apologize on behalf of the City of Toronto.
Tory also emphasized that “An apology is nothing without action.” Toronto’s mayor said the City’s first Reconciliation Action Plan includes many strategies to enhance relationships with the Indigenous community in Toronto. As part of the plan, the City commits to working together with the Toronto and York Region Métis Council to develop educational programs and commemorative initiatives that further explain the history behind this apology and educate all residents of and visitors to Toronto.
SOURCE City of Toronto
lead photo Mayor Tory via Instagram
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