4 - Why is There an 1885 Statue at Queen’s Park? Toronto's Role in Settler Colonialism on the Prairies

Listening T.O. History

In 1885, ​more than 500 Torontonians headed to the Northwest to defend settler colonialism against a Métis resistance led by Louis Riel. In this episode, we wonder why a monument to these volunteers sits at Queen’s Park, why Toronto became so interested in the prairies in the mid-nineteenth century, and what role Toronto had in settler colonialism in the West. We reflect on how the power of Toronto has always been to project outward to places far away.

Some additional resources related to today’s topics:

• Ian Radforth, "Celebrating the Suppression of the North-West Resistance of 1885: The Toronto Press and the Militia Volunteers," Histoire sociale/Social History 47, no. 95 (2014): 601–39.
• Doug Owram, Promise of Eden: The Canadian Expansionist Movement and the Idea of the West, 1856–1900 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980).
• J. M. S. Careless, Toronto to 1918: An Illustrated History (Toronto: Lorimer, 1984).
• Jean Teillet, The North-West is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s People, the Métis Nation (Toronto: Patrick Crean Editions/HarperCollins, 2019).
• Gerald Friesen, The Canadian Prairies: A History (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984).

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Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!