​Manitoba became Canada's fifth province when it entered Confederation in 1870, after a massive land transfer, a violent rebellion and a famous execution. [Louis Riel]

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the British colonies of the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into one federation, Canada, on July 1, 1867. Upon confederation, the old province of Canada was divided into Ontario and Quebec; along with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the new federation thus comprised four provinces.

Over the years since Confederation, Canada has seen numerous territorial changes and expansions, resulting in the current union of ten provinces and three territories.Wikipedia

The “Fathers of Confederation" are the men who attended one or more of the conferences at Charlottetown, Québec and London. For Manitoba, that means William McDougall, an Ontario journalist and politician who Canada named the first lieutenant-governor of the Northwest Territories. Although considered a founder of Manitoba, Louis Riel is not officially recognized as a Father of Confederation, however a debate exists today about whether he should be.