SaskatchewanMembers of the Regina community gathered for a vigil walk to honour the 140th anniversary of the first Metis Nation Leader, Louis Riel. This is the 16th annual walk held by Métis Nation Saskatchewan’s Western Region 3 to the RCMP Depot site where Louis Riel was hanged. Sunday walk honours Métis leader ‘who had in his heart a vision of building a nation in Western Canada’: MN-SSarah Onyango · CBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2025 4:46 PM EST | Last Updated: 43 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The 16th annual Louis Riel vigil walk, organized by the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, invites people to ‘pay our respects to our first president of our nation,’ says Wendy Gervais, a representative for the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan’s Western Region 3. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)A vigil walk planned for Sunday will mark the 140th anniversary of the hanging of Louis Riel, including a stop at the spot where the Métis leader was hanged.The 16th annual Louis Riel vigil walk is organized by the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan. Wendy Gervais, a representative for the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan’s Western Region 3, says the event invites community members to come together to “pay our respects to our first president of our nation, Louis David Riel, who was hanged in Regina on Nov. 16.”For many Métis people in Saskatchewan, Riel’s legacy remains deeply rooted in community identity, said Gervais, calling him “an individual who had in his heart a vision of building a nation in Western Canada.”His leadership during the 1885 Northwest Resistance in present-day Saskatchewan and his advocacy for Métis rights, culture and land hold particular significance in the province, she said.Riel, 41, who earlier led the Red River Resistance in what is now Manitoba in 1869-70, was accused of treason and executed by hanging in a public gallows on Nov. 16, 1885, at the Northwest Mounted Police barracks in Regina. His body was transported back to the Red River Settlement in Winnipeg, where he was buried at St. Boniface Cathedral’s cemetery. While he has in the past been characterized as a controversial figure in Canadian history, Riel is now celebrated for forming a provisional government and paving the way for Manitoba’s entry into Confederation. In 2023, he was officially recognized as Manitoba’s honorary first premier. Walk begins at Optimist Park Métis Nation-Saskatchewan’s Sunday walk in Regina will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Optimist Park on Dewdney Avenue. From there, participants will walk west toward the RCMP Depot, stopping at the location where Riel was executed. Louis Riel was hanged in Regina on Nov. 16, 1885, after being accused of treason. (Manitoba Archives/The Canadian Press)”We go right into [the] depot, and we go to the site where Louis was actually hanged,” and an elder usually smudges, said Gervais.Every year at the depot chapel, community members share stories and offer prayers, before the walk concludes at the RCMP Heritage Centre, she said.The vigil walk typically draws 40 to 60 participants, and Gervais says organizers expect a similar turnout Sunday. “Anyone interested in joining is welcome to come pay respects to the Métis leader,” she said. “We just really share in community.… Our ceremony really is the celebration of assembling together, and that’s what we do.”ABOUT THE AUTHORSarah Onyango is a reporter and producer at CBC Saskatchewan. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Regina. Sarah is passionate about diverse storytelling in Saskatchewan. She can be reached at sarah.onyango@cbc.caWith files from Randi LaRocque
Regina vigil walk marks 140th anniversary of execution of Louis Riel
