The portrait of Louis Riel, officially recognized as the first Premier of Manitoba since last fall, was updated inside the provincial legislature building in Winnipeg yesterday morning during a celebration as part of "Louis Riel Day."

"The portrait of Louis Riel has adorned the walls of the Manitoba legislature building for several years, but the accompanying plaque described him as merely a 'president'," explained a press release issued by the Manitoba government. "The plaque accompanying his portrait was amended to accurately reflect his role as the first Premier in Manitoba."

The Manitoba legislature had recognized on December 7 last year the historic leader of the Métis in the Canadian Prairies, Louis Riel, as the first Premier of the province.

This step came in fulfillment of an election promise from the New Democratic Party of Manitoba (Manitoba's NDP) and its leader Wab Kinew, the provincial premier since last October, whose assumption of this position was a precedent in Canada as he became the first person from the First Nations to hold the office of Premier, either federally or provincially.

When this left-leaning opposition party submitted a bill to recognize Riel as the first Premier of the province four times, the bill was not passed.

During the unveiling of the new plaque yesterday, Kinew said that it was important for this bill to be the first law adopted by his government.

"To be able to move forward, we must also recognize our history," added the Premier of Manitoba.

The new law stipulates that curricula must present Louis Riel's contributions in Manitoba and his status as the first Premier of the province, one of the three provinces in the Prairie region of western Canada.

Kinew highlighted the important work done by Riel "to recognize the French language and minority language rights and Indigenous rights" and his "vision to create a province where everyone can live."

The head of the "Manitoba Métis Federation" (MMF), David Chartrand, said that recognizing Riel as the first Premier of Manitoba is a victory for the Métis and all residents of the province.

"We waited 154 years for this and never gave up on correcting the mistake," Chartrand said, referring to Riel heading a provisional government and leading negotiations that paved the way for Manitoba’s entry into the Canadian Confederation in 1870.

Riel was executed by hanging for treason on November 16, 1885, at the age of 41, after leading two Métis resistance movements.

He was sometimes seen as a controversial figure in Canadian history, but he has gained widespread respect for his leadership spirit and sacrifices for his people.

Manitoba recognized Riel as its founder in 1992, then as its first leader in 2016. However, the "Manitoba Métis Federation" had been pushing for recognition of the historic Métis leader as the first Premier of the province.

The Métis in Canada descend from the intermarriage between European whites and Indigenous peoples, notably between French fur traders and Indigenous women.