Maxime L̩pine (c. 1837 РSeptember 16, 1897) was a
Métis
The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...
businessman and political figure from Canada.
Lépine joined
Louis Riel's provisional government in
Red River in 1869.
A founding member of the Union Saint-Alexandre, Lépine sought to bring together Métis of French-Canadian and Catholic origins.
Later, Lépine represented
St. Francois Xavier East
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in the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1874 to 1878.
Early life
Lépine was born in
Saint Boniface, Manitoba, the son of Jean-Baptiste Bérard,
dit
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Lépine and Julia Henry.
Lépine married Josephte Lavallée and together they had six children, who all grew into adulthood.
It is also known that Maxime Lépine studied with the Christian Brothers in St Boniface.
Lépine lived in
St. François Xavier in the 1870s and managed a
Red River cart freighting company which transported goods west to
Fort Carlton and
ÃŽle-Ã -la-Crosse, Saskatchewan, and south to
Pembina, North Dakota, and
St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...
.
Provisional Government
Maxime Lépine along with his brother
Ambroise-Dydime, served in the
provisional government of Manitoba established in 1869.
He served as a councillor in the provisional government created by Riel during the
Red River Rebellion. The provisional government was established by Riel, along with other Métis leaders from the
Red River Settlement, in 1869.
The government was established in order to stop the Canadian government from annexing
Rupert's Land.
At the time, Rupert's Land was under the control of the
Hudson's Bay Company and was made up of territory that today is known as the
Prairie province
The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...
s.
In 1869, the Hudson's Bay Company, the Canadian government, and the British government, held negotiations for the transfer of the lands sovereignty, all the while leaving the Métis out of the conversation.
With over 12,000 residents in the Red River Settlement, the Métis people became worried about their status in the new Dominion and decided to fight for their rights.
The provisional government was successful in that it was able to negotiate the terms of Métis entry into the Dominion, resulting in
''The Manitoba Act''.
''The'' ''Manitoba Act'' of 1870 created the province of Manitoba, and secured the rights of Métis by providing bilingual institutions, denominational schools, and granting 1.4-million acres of land to future Métis children.
Later life
Following the creation of Manitoba as a province, Maxime Lépine was able to escape the hands Ontario Orangemen and went on to become a founding member of the Union Saint-Alexandre, which was created to bring together Métis of French-Canadian and Catholic origin.
Moreover, Lépine represented St. François-Xavier East in the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1874 to 1878.
Maxime served a single term before being defeated in December 1878.
In 1882, he moved to
Saskatchewan, settling near
St. Louis. Maxime Lépine fought at the
Battle of Fish Creek
The Battle of Fish Creek (also known as the Battle of Tourond's Coulée ), fought April 24, 1885 at Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, was a major Métis victory over the Canadian forces attempting to quell Louis Riel's North-West Rebellion. Although th ...
and surrendered to General
Frederick Dobson Middleton after the defeat at
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. He was convicted of high treason and sent to
Stony Mountain Penitentiary in August 1885, he was released in 1886 having serving about seven months of his seven-year sentence. In 1896, he was given an appointment in the Indian agency at
Battleford. Lépine died in poverty at
Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, on 16 September 1897.
See also
*
Louis Riel
*
Métis National Council
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lepine, Maxime
1897 deaths
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Métis politicians
Year of birth uncertain
People convicted of treason against Canada
Canadian prisoners and detainees
Prisoners and detainees of Canada
Canadian Métis people
People from Saint Boniface, Winnipeg
People of the Red River Rebellion