Pascal Breland

Pascal Breland was a famous 19th-century Pre-confederation Canadian Métis farmer and politician. He was elected to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly serving from 1870 until 1874.

Breland was born on June 15, 1811 in the Saskatchewan Valley in the Northwest Territories (today in the province of Saskatchewan). In 1836 at the age of 25, Breland married 15-year-old Maria Grant, daughter of Cuthbert Grant. The pair had a very large family of six boys and nine girls. Tragedy struck his family on June 21, 1863 when his son Napoléon Breland drowned at the age of four. Breland died at St. François Xavier, Manitoba on October 24, 1896.

Breland became a member of the Council of Assiniboia in September 1857.

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.

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. 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.

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