James Isbister was an influential leader of the English-speaking Métis, fur trader, farmer, and founder of the Isbister Métis Settlement (present day Prince Albert, Saskatchewan).
November 22, 2022 Prince Albert, SK Parks Canada Agency
National historic designations tell the stories of who we are and connect us to our past, enriching our understanding of ourselves, each other, and our country. James Isbister guided his people through the 1870s and 1880s, helping to unite French-speaking and English-speaking Métis in their many attempts to have Canada recognize their land rights.
Today, the Government of Canada commemorated the national historic significance of James Isbister with a special ceremony to unveil a plaque in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
Isbister was born at Oxford House (Manitoba) in 1833 to a Scottish father and Métis mother. It is believed that he obtained an education at Red River Settlement and was fluent in many languages, including Gaelic, Cree, and Michif, the language of the Métis Nation. At 20, Isbister followed in his father's footsteps as an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, remaining with the fur trading organization for most of the next two decades. Due to ongoing discrimination against Métis employees and his father's low Company rank, Isbister never rose above the position of clerk.
In 1862, Isbister and his Métis spouse, Margaret Bear, founded the Isbister Métis Settlement, leading the community and establishing several farmsteads in the region over the ensuing decades. The Isbister Métis Settlement would eventually become the City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
In the late 1870s and early 1880s, the federal government began land surveys that encroached on Métis land and Isbister became a leader in the movement to gain redress for Métis grievances. Isbister was one of four Métis delegates who travelled to Montana to ask Louis Riel to return from exile in the United States in order to lead the Métis protest movement in Canada. Isbister supported the Métis cause but did not join the Northwest Resistance of 1885 after the Batoche-area Métis reluctantly took up arms. Throughout the struggle, he remained loyal to the Métis Nation and is recognized today as one of its influential leaders.
The Government of Canada is committed to connecting Canadians to the significant places, persons and events that shaped our country's history and to implementing the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Parks Canada is committed to working with Indigenous peoples to recognize, commemorate, and share the stories of Indigenous peoples. Collaborating with numerous Indigenous groups across Canada, Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples are partners in conserving, restoring, and presenting Canada's natural and cultural heritage.
