Newsworld, Riel, and the Métis: Recognition and the Limits to Reconciliation

<jats:p> This article examines the rhetorical character of CBC Newsworld’s 2003 “re-trial” of Métis leader Louis Riel. Specifically, it considers how the broadcast was presented as a gesture of reconciliation toward the Métis but was received by Métis spokespersons as racist or colonizing. The broadcast is analyzed through Robert Hariman’s conception of the popular trial as an occasion for the development of argumentative resources to deliberate on problematic issues within public culture. The broadcast and its reception are then analyzed critically to highlight the tensions between identity, recognition, and reconciliation. </jats:p>