“The Catholic Mahdi of the North West”: Louis Riel and the Metis Resistance in Transatlantic and Imperial Context

The authors examine the transatlantic press coverage of the Metis resistance in Saskatchewan in 1885. The article documents that there was extensive international coverage of this ostensibly Canadian conflict and traces the evolution of narratives about it from their origins in French and English Canada to the United States, Great Britain, and France. The article resituates Riel and the Metis resistance within this international framework, demonstrating how the story of Riel and the Metis was reshaped by commentators in the transatlantic world to suit local, national, and imperial contexts.

Ontario’s Alleged Fanaticism in the Riel Affair

That Louis Riel was hanged because of the influence of Ontario fanaticism is a very familiar notion, and one that French Canadians believed in from the beginning. They thought the real grievances of the Metis were extenuating circumstances in his favour, and that, because he was insane, he could not be considered guilty of a crime. Normally, a man would not be hanged in such conditions. The exception made in his case could only be explained by bigoted hatred of his French race and Catholic religion. Moreover, it was the “fanatisme bête de la province d’Ontario” that was responsible for the injustice. This view is still current. French-language press, community leaders, and historians still speak of Riel as victim of “préjugés anglais,” “fanatisme orangiste,” or the “fanatisme … de l’Ontario.” And, English Canada has generally adopted the same interpretation.

Les effets des programmes d’été de littératie: Les théories sur les opportunités d’apprentissage et les élèves « non traditionnels » dans les écoles de langue française en Ontario

According to studies from the United States and English Canada, student achievement gaps grow over the summer months when children are not attending school, but summer literacy interventions can reduce those gaps. This paper presents data from a quasi-experiment conducted in eight Ontario French language school boards in 2010, 2011 and 2012 for 682 children in grades 1-3. Growth in literacy test scores between June and September are compared for 361 attendees of summer literacy programs and 321 control students. Summer program recruits initially had lower prior literacy scores and grades, and tended to hail from relatively disadvantaged social backgrounds. Yet, summer programs narrowed those pre-existing gaps. Effect sizes from a variety of regression and propensity score matching models ranged from .32 to .58, which is quite sizeable by the standards of elementary school interventions and summer programs. Effects were stronger among students whose parents reported not speaking French exclusively at home. Our paper considers learning opportunity theory in light of the “non-traditional” student in Ontario French language schools.

The Land of Cain: Class and Nationalism in English Canada, 1945-1975 [Review]

The Land of Cain: Class and Nationalism in English Canada, 1945-1975 [Review]

Les effets des programmes d’été de littératie: Les théories sur les opportunités d’apprentissage et les élèves « non traditionnels » dans les écoles de langue française en Ontario

According to studies from the United States and English Canada, student achievement gaps grow over the summer months when children are not attending school, but summer literacy interventions can reduce those gaps. This paper presents data from a quasi-experiment conducted in eight Ontario French language school boards in 2010, 2011 and 2012 for 682 children in grades 1-3. Growth in literacy test scores between June and September are compared for 361 attendees of summer literacy programs and 321 control students. Summer program recruits initially had lower prior literacy scores and grades, and tended to hail from relatively disadvantaged social backgrounds. Yet, summer programs narrowed those pre-existing gaps. Effect sizes from a variety of regression and propensity score matching models ranged from .32 to .58, which is quite sizeable by the standards of elementary school interventions and summer programs. Effects were stronger among students whose parents reported not speaking French exclusively at home. Our paper considers learning opportunity theory in light of the “non-traditional” student in Ontario French language schools.

The Land of Cain: Class and Nationalism in English Canada, 1945-1975 [Review]

The Land of Cain: Class and Nationalism in English Canada, 1945-1975 [Review]