Audrey Poitras facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Audrey Poitras
Born	Audrey Mae Dumont 1950
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Politician
Known for	longest-serving President of the Métis Nation of Alberta

Audrey Mae Poitras was born in 1950 as Audrey Mae Dumont. She is a Canadian politician who worked to help the Métis people. From 1996 to 2023, she was the President of the Métis Nation of Alberta. She was the first woman to hold this important position.

Audrey Poitras also served as a Vice-President on the Métis National Council, which represents Métis people across Canada. In 2004, she joined the Board of the Canadian Executive Service Organization.

Audrey Poitras's parents were Jean Baptiste Dumont and Mabel Kinchshe. She is related to Gabriel Dumont, a famous Métis leader. Her family also has ties to the Fishing Lake Metis Settlement. She grew up on a farm near Elk Point, Alberta, which is about 150 kilometers northeast of Edmonton. Today, she lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

What is the Métis Nation of Alberta?

The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) is a group that works for the rights and interests of Métis people in Alberta. The Métis are a unique Indigenous group in Canada with their own culture and history.

Audrey Poitras's Role as President

As the President of the MNA, Audrey Poitras became one of the most well-known Métis women in Canada. She worked hard to protect and advance Métis rights. She was elected in 1996 and became the longest-serving President of the MNA.

Audrey Poitras continued to push for Métis rights, especially after the important Daniels Supreme Court decision in 2016. This decision recognized Métis people as Indigenous people under the Canadian Constitution.

Helping Métis Students and Researchers

Audrey Poitras helped create partnerships with colleges and universities. These partnerships led to $22 million in Métis Endowment funds. These funds help Métis students get an education.

She also helped start the MNA's Rupertsland Institute. This institute helps Métis people with education and training. She also oversaw the Métis Centre of Excellence, which works with the University of Alberta to support education, training, and research for Métis people.

Important Legal Victories for Métis Rights

In September 2003, Audrey Poitras was the Interim President of the Métis National Council. She announced a big victory when the Supreme Court of Canada made a historic decision in the R v Powley case. This case confirmed that Métis are Aboriginal people with rights protected by the Constitution.

One year later, in 2004, Poitras finished talks and signed the Interim Métis Harvesting Agreement with Alberta. This was the first agreement in Canada to give harvesting rights to Métis people. This means Métis people have the right to hunt and fish for food in certain areas.

Working with the Canadian Government

In April 2004, Audrey Poitras represented the Métis Nation at a special meeting called the Canada Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable. Many federal cabinet ministers and Aboriginal leaders attended. Sitting with the Prime Minister and other national Aboriginal leaders, Poitras showed the Métis Nation's commitment to a Canada-Métis Nation Framework Agreement. This agreement would help guide how the Canadian government and Métis Nation work together.

Poitras was there when the Framework Agreement was signed on May 31, 2005, in Ottawa.

Awards and Recognition

Audrey Poitras has received many awards for her work. In 2005, the CBC named her one of "The Alberta 100." Alberta Venture magazine also called her one of "Alberta's 50 most influential people."

In 2017, the Alberta Chamber of Resources chose Poitras as the 2016 Indigenous Leader of the Year. She has also received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award.

One of her biggest achievements was creating Métis Crossing. This is a multimillion-dollar cultural site located along the North Saskatchewan River near Smoky Lake, Alberta. It helps people learn about Métis culture and history.

List of Awards and Achievements

• Appreciation Award, University of Alberta School of Native Studies 1998
• Region 2 Recognition Award, Metis National Council, 1999
• Native Counselling Service of Alberta, 2001
• Uniting for Children, Children's Services Ministry 2003
• Esquao Lifetime Achievement Award, Institution For Advancement of Aboriginal Women 2002
• Louis Dorion Award for Outstanding Commitment, Batoche 2002
• Politics Award, Aboriginal Role Models of Alberta 2002
• Order of the Métis Shawl, Métis Elder's Council 2003
• Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal 2003
• Hon. Degree in Management, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology 2005
• CBC's The Alberta 100 Recognition 2005
• "one of Alberta's most influential people", Alberta Venture Magazine 2005
• Circle of Honour, Institute For Advancement of Aboriginal Women 2007 (highest honour given for work to improve lives of Aboriginal people)
• Recognition Award, Aboriginal Veterans Society of Alberta 2009
• National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Women in Politics 2011
• Alberta Chamber of Resources Indigenous Leader of the Year Award 2016
• Region 3 Recognition Award 2018

External links

• Métis Nation of Alberta: President profile
• audreypoitras.com