Métis Nation of Ontario facts for kids

The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) is an organization for people in Ontario who identify as Métis. It has leaders at both the provincial (Ontario-wide) and local community levels. On June 27, 2019, the Métis Nation of Ontario and the Government of Canada signed an important agreement. This agreement, called the MNO-Canada Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreement, was the first time Canada officially recognized that the Métis communities represented by the MNO have the right to govern themselves and make their own decisions.

Métis People in Ontario: A Look Back

Métis communities have lived in Ontario since the late 1700s. Back then, big fur trading companies like the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company had rules against their workers having families with Indigenous women. But some men still did.

Many Métis people were of French background. However, there were also many Anglo-Métis people around the Great Lakes and James Bay. These were families formed by Indigenous women and English or Scottish fur traders or British soldiers. These unions were often called marriages à la façon du pays, meaning "marriages in the custom of the country."

Mixed-heritage groups began living near these trading forts. Places like Sault Ste. Marie and communities along James Bay, such as Moosonee and Moose Factory, became home to these families.

Some historians believe that the Métis community in Red River (in Western Canada) might have connections to these early groups. However, many people from these mixed families in Ontario either joined Indigenous communities or became part of European settler society. They didn't always develop the same unique culture as the distinct Métis People of Louis Riel in Western Canada.

For a long time, many Canadians didn't know there were Métis people in the Great Lakes region. This was partly because Indigenous peoples often moved to reserves to keep their traditions alive. But the Métis survived. Small, growing communities still thrive in the Great Lakes area today. A major court case in 2003, called R v. Powley, helped bring attention to this. The judge in that case said that the Métis community had become "invisible" but was not gone.

It's important to know that whether these early mixed-heritage people in Ontario called themselves "Métis" at the time is a topic of discussion. Some scholars and Indigenous elders say that calling these groups "Métis" might not be accurate. They argue that many mixed-blood people in the region either joined Indigenous communities or blended with European newcomers. They say this is different from the distinct Métis Nation that grew in Western Canada.

The Métis Nation of Ontario: Its Story

The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) was created in 1993. Similar organizations were formed in other provinces too. The goal was to give Métis people in Ontario a political voice.

A big moment for the MNO came in 2003 with the R. vs. Powley case. This case went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Court ruled that Métis people are Indigenous people with rights to hunt and fish according to their traditional ways of life. This ruling also created a way to identify Métis people, known as the "Powley test."

The MNO also has its own way of defining Métis identity. It focuses on people identifying themselves as Métis, having at least one Indigenous grandparent, and having their application accepted by the MNO.

The Powley case involved two members of the Sault Ste. Marie Métis community. They faced charges for hunting without a license. The Supreme Court said that Métis people are a "distinctive rights-bearing peoples." This means they have their own unique way of life and practices that are protected by Canada's laws. The Court also said that Métis rights don't have to come from practices that existed before Europeans arrived. Instead, they come from the Métis people's own history and culture that developed after contact.

The Court also made it clear that "Métis" in the law doesn't mean just anyone with mixed Indigenous and European heritage. It means distinct groups of people who, besides their mixed background, developed their own customs, way of life, and group identity separate from their Indigenous or Inuit and European ancestors.

The Powley family, the MNO, and Métis people across Canada won this historic case. The Supreme Court not only cleared the Powleys but also set an important legal example. It confirmed that the Sault Ste. Marie Métis community has existed for a long time and still exists today. It also created a way to identify Métis communities in other parts of Ontario and Canada.

Today, unique Métis communities continue to thrive in the Upper Great Lakes region and other parts of Ontario. In 2017, the province of Ontario officially recognized six more historical Métis communities. This was after a lot of research and discussions with the MNO. These new communities met the requirements set by the 2003 Powley decision.

These historical and modern communities are connected by waterways and by family ties. The MNO has looked at old documents to find Métis "root ancestors" and their families. These ancestors helped form the historical Métis communities in Ontario.

How the MNO is Set Up

The MNO is organized much like a democratically elected provincial government.

Map of the community councils managed by the Métis Nation of Ontario

The Community Councils are the main link between Métis citizens and the MNO's provincial leaders. The MNO helps these Community Councils with resources and support. This ensures they can do their work and are well-managed. Each Community Council also has a spot for a Youth representative. This person works with the Métis Nation of Ontario Youth Council and speaks for Métis youth in their area.

The provincial leadership is called the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO). This council answers to MNO citizens at their yearly meetings (Annual General Assemblies). The PCMNO handles issues and decisions that affect all Métis people across Ontario.

The PCMNO has five executive members. It also has nine councilors who represent different regions of Ontario. There are also representatives for youth and university-age people, and four senators.

The current president is Margaret Froh. She is the first female president of the MNO. She is a lawyer and has worked in Indigenous law and policy at the MNO before.

Métis Self-Government

In February 2023, Canada and the MNO reached a big agreement. They signed a Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Agreement. This agreement builds on earlier steps taken in 2017 and 2019.

On June 27, 2019, the MNO and the Government of Canada signed the MNO-Canada Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreement. This agreement recognized the MNO's right to govern itself. It also laid out a clear plan for the MNO's current leadership structures to become a federally recognized Métis Government. At that time, Canada also promised to pass laws to make this happen.

This new legislation officially recognizes that certain Métis governments can use their inherent rights. This includes the right to govern themselves and make their own decisions. This Self-Government Agreement and the new laws apply only to Métis people. They do not affect First Nations, Inuit, or any other Canadians.

Past Discussions with the Métis National Council

At a meeting of the Métis National Council (MNC) in 2018, there were some concerns. The MNC's vice president, David Chartrand, questioned how the Ontario Métis organization defines who is Métis. The MNC then suspended the MNO's membership in the Métis Nation's governing bodies.

The National Council was also worried that 90% of the people who had registered with the MNO did not meet the citizenship rules the Council set in 2002. These rules included needing a family link to the Métis homelands, especially the Red River area.

The Métis National Council said that if the MNO wanted its suspension to end, it needed to use a stricter definition of Métis status. In response, MNO Vice President France Picotte said that the Council had no authority over the MNO.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the MNO received money from the Public Health Agency of Canada. This money helped the MNO encourage Métis citizens in Ontario to get COVID-19 vaccines.