There were many occasions in history wherein the French and English Canadians have clashed but the first major historical event to tear the relationship into pieces was the Northwest Rebellion. The French Canadians regarded the Northwest Rebellion a noble cause and Louis Riel a hero who stood up to protect the rights of the French-speaking Métis. The English saw the rebellion as a threat to Canada's sovereignty and Riel as a traitor.

Louis Riel had taken up residence in the United States after the Red River Rebellion. A delegation traveled to Montana to enlist Riel's help once again to stop the Canadian government from encroaching on Métis land. Riel returned to Canada with the delegation and drew up a petition of grievances that had the support of both English and French speaking Métis as well as the immigrant settlers of the area. The petition was...