What led to the Northwest Resistance?

• A. Rapid economic growth and opportunities
• B. Unfair treatment of Metis people and displacement
• C. A peaceful settlement with the federal government
• D. A new treaty with Alberta and Saskatchewan

Answer: (B)

The II Northwest Resistance was sparked by the sense that Métis communities and Indigenous peoples in the Northwest Territories were being pushed out and sidelined as the Canadian government moved to open the region to white settlement and assert control. Metis land rights, once recognized in earlier arrangements, were being eroded as surveys, land sales, and government policies favored newcomers. This created a deep fear of losing their traditional lands, livelihoods, and cultural autonomy, so the Métis and their allies organized to defend their rights and negotiate terms with Ottawa. That tension between settlement-driven displacement and the demand for recognized rights is the heart of why the resistance emerged.