his title of Governor of Rupert's Land. Political ideology Being the governor of both Assiniboia and Rupert's Land created an issue in Mactavish's career, as he believed that the fur trade and the settlement should not fall under the same political sphere, much less one single person. He had a tendency to put the needs of the people of Assiniboia first, rather than thinking about the entirety of a political scheme. Mactavish believed that the Métis had a right to their own land, and, further, he criticized the Canadian government for their lack of consultation in the proposed transfer of Rupert's Land to Canada, and later objected the discussion. Mactavish had such a distaste for politics that he refused to even engage in the political aspect of his job. In regards to his political life, Mactavish was quoted as saying that he does not want his words to be misconstrued, and that he, "declines to say anything whatever on political matters." Red River Rebellion On 16 November 1869, Mactavish released a statement in regards to the eminent Red River Rebellion, notifying the inhabitants of Red River and Assiniboia about what was happening in regards to the events surrounding Red River. Mactavish outlined six important issues, that were, in his opinion, what the Red River Rebellion encompassed: There was a blockade on the road leading into the settlement. There was stolen goods and merchandise from the settlement. There had been a tampering with the mail in the settlement. There was a forced entrance into the settlement. The conflict forced HBC men to flee to American territory. The intention was to stop the transfer of Rupert's Land to the government of Canada. Mactavish encouraged the population of Red River to protest the rebellion, in hopes of minimizing conflict. As well, Mactavish asked the rebels to leave peacefully, because the conflict could result in "incalculable good or immeasurable evil." This proclamation was the only thing that Mactavish did in regards to the Red River Rebellion, which is where the controversy surrounding him lays, because he did very little, if anything, to exercise his power. Red River was almost solely reliant on the HBC in economic terms, in that Red River was created as a fur trading settlement. This created conflict between his two positions as Governor of Assiniboia and Rupert's Land. Mactavish was afraid to put his Métis sympathies into use, for fear