By 1821, gradually more people moved to the Red River area (Winnipeg). The main groups of people that were living in the Red River Settlement (Winnipeg) were the Metis, Cree natives and Scotish immigrants. The Metis people were French-speakers. They are a unique group of people. The Metis are the sons and daughters of early French Fur traders and Native women.
The Metis, Cree and Scotish farmed, fished, traped, hunted buffalo and traded furs. At this time western Canada was owned and operated by the Hudsons Bay Co. The Scotish immigrants refused to give up or share land with the French-Speaking Metis and Cree natives. This multi-cultural and multi-lingual region was highly volitile and fighting between groups in Red River (Winnipeg) was common. By the 1850's the Hudsons Bay Company could no longer afford to own and operate the West. The English-speaking Canadian government became interested in acquirng lands in the West. Settlers were moving into the praries to farm the lands. The Canadian government intedned on taking the West over from the Natives and Metis. Most of the people that began to move to the Praries were not French-speaking Catholics, Metis or Natives but were English-speaking Protestants.
These new settlers began to push the Metis and natives off their hunting lands and farms in Red River (Winnipeg). Angry confrontations broke out between the English speaking immigrants of Canada and the natives and Metis in the praries. The new arrivals challenged the way of life of the natives and metis and showed them little respect. The English speaking Canadian began ways to try and assimilate the natives and Metis and get rid of the french language and catholic religion.