Removal of Louis Riel Heritage Minute sparks debate about storytelling, censorship

WARNING: This story contains video portraying a re-enactment of the execution of Louis Riel.

A history organization was right to remove a 1991 Heritage Minute dramatizing the execution of Louis Riel, says one of the Métis leader's descendants after the decision sparked debate about storytelling and censorship.

It was revealed last week on social media that Historica Canada had quietly pulled the 33-year-old video from circulation and deleted it from YouTube — sparking speculation about when this happened and why.

The decision was made in 2020, according to Historica Canada's chief executive, after discussions and feedback from some leading members of the Métis community, who felt the content was inappropriate and made without community representation.

Among those who gave feedback was Jean Teillet, a Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) member, great-grandniece of Riel, author and recently retired lawyer.

"I said that I thought it was a piece of colonial propaganda commemorating the state violence, and if their intention was to do a historical moment about Louis Riel, this was not it," she said.

Heritage Minutes are public service announcements that depict significant people and events in Canadian history. When contacted by CBC Indigenous last week, Teillet confirmed she was consulted about the minute before it was pulled.

Darren O'Toole, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa and an MMF member, disagrees with Teillet's interpretation of the video.

"It's not commemorating: It's condemning, I would say, state violence," he said.

He said the removal is curious and raises questions about censorship and the need for open debate, noting some people are now accusing Historica Canada "of whitewashing Canadian history." 

Anthony Wilson-Smith, Historica Canada president and CEO, would not name those who provided input, saying they were speaking on their own behalf during private discussions rather than taking a formal position on behalf of an organization.

"That said, I considered the points made to be compelling and that their personal views had unquestionable validity," wrote Wilson-Smith, who joined the organization in 2012.

"We were not specifically asked to remove the minute from circulation. That decision was left to us, and based on the points previously made, we did so."

The video, which is still available online elsewhere, imagines what might've been running through Riel's head the moment before prime minister John A. Macdonald had him executed for treason in 1885. Riel was a central figure in two political uprisings and is recognized today as the founder of the province of Manitoba and its honorary first premier.