Pascal Breland was a famous 19th-century pre-confederation Canadian Métis farmer and politician. He was a well-known Metis trader and was popularly nicknamed "le Roi des traiteurs". He held several appointed political positions as well as elected offices, with his work and influence playing a key role in shaping the identity of Western Canadian provinces as they exist today.
Early life
Breland was born on June 15, 1811 in the Saskatchewan Valley in the Northwest Territories. His father, Pierre Berland dit Duboishu, was a French Canadian Voyageur, hunter & trader. His mother, Marie Louise Josephe Bilideau/Beledau was of mixed French and First Nations ancestry. In the late 1820s, Pascal moved to the town St. François Xavier, Manitoba with his family. On February 8, 1836 at St. Francois-Xavier, Manitoba Pascal married Maria Grant, daughter of Cuthbert Grant. Pascal and Maria had fourteen children: Patrice Breland, Cycle Breland, Marie “Judith” Breland, Thomas Breland, Elisabeth Breland, Marguerite Breland, Luxine/Lucie Breland, Clemence Breland, Placidee Breland, Elisabeth “Eliza/Laiza” Breland, Josue Breland, Pascal Napoleon Breland, Gregoire Breland, and Marie Justine Breland.
Metis Identity
The distinct Metis culture that Pascal Breland belongs to is an important factor in understanding how he became a “prominent” Manitoban. Raised with the combined knowledge of fur traders and various First Nations peoples, Metis had a way of life that made them especially apt to dominate the pre-confederation plains economy. Breland gained land and notoriety through his farming ability, but also is rumored to have run an illegal side business trading in the region without the approval of the monopolistic Hudson's Bay Company. His marriage to Maria Grant is telling of a certain respect he held within his community, as her father was Cuthbert Grant, another prominent Metis leader. The expanded kinship network that resulted from this marriage was only strengthened by the fact that the couple had a--not uncharacteristically—large family of six boys and nine girls, with the eldest son Patrice eventually following in his father's political footsteps. Beyond his family life, Pascal Breland's political career well known within the Metis community. Breland retained status through important positions on buffalo hunts, and may have become captain of these hunts after Cuthbert Grant's death, though the records of this are not definite.
Political career
Breland's life as a prominent Metis figure during the tumultuous period of the late 1800s was inherently political. Known for several reasons, Pascal was the son-in-law of Cuthbert Grant, a hunt and trading chief of numerous hivernant villages, and the patriarch of St. Francois Xavier. Trusted by First Nations bands in the West, Breland was often sent as a messenger or negotiator in political or legal collaborations. He supported Louis Riel Sr. in the protest against the Pierre Guillaume Sayer trial in 1849. However, became unpopular with many resistance leaders due to his absence during the Red River Resistance of 1869-70 and condemnation of Louis Riel. In 1851 Breland was appointed magistrate for White Horse Plains.
Breland became a member of the Council of Assiniboia in September 1857.
Manitoba Legislature
Breland ran in the first general election held after Manitoba joined confederation in 1870. He won the electoral district of St. Francis Xavier East. In that election he defeated John Bruce who had served as President of the short lived Métis provisional government in 1869. The total vote was small as Breland won 31 votes to 18 for Bruce. Breland did not stand for re-election after the Assembly dissolved in 1874. In this position, Breland was "instrumental" in legislature and negotiations which culminated in the signing of Treaty Number Four in 1874.
Northwest Territories politician
Breland served two long terms as a politician in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. He was first appointed to the Temporary North-West Council on December 28, 1872. Appointed by Adams G. Archibald who was the first lieutenant-governor of Manitoba & NWT as members of the Executive & Legislative councils for Rupert's Land and the North Western Territory, he served this position alongside fellow Metis Pierre Delorme. He served on the council until it was dissolved in 1876. He was re-appointed two years later on July 10, 1878 to serve on the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories. His re-appointment made him the only member of the original council to be re-appointed. He was re-appointed to the council due to demands of the Métis for government representation. Breland was the only member to reside from outside the territories during that period. In total he served 15 years as an appointed member.
Late life
Breland died on October 24, 1896, he is buried next to his wife in the St. Francois Xavier Roman Catholic Cemetery.
