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Manitoba Metis Federation to be first Metis group with modern treaty with Canada

  • Alessia Passafiume

  • Canadian Press

  • November 29, 2024

<p>President of the Manitoba Metis Federation David Chartrand speaks to media after the completion of the 43rd Manitoba Legislature throne speech at the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim</p>

OTTAWA -- The Manitoba Metis Federation will be the first Metis group to sign a modern treaty with the federal government.

The signing ceremony is set to happen on Saturday afternoon, and will recognize the Manitoba Metis Federation as the government of the Red River Metis.

An agreement was signed in 2021 to recognize the Manitoba Metis Federation's self-government, and its members voted yes to the treaty last year during an assembly.

The Manitoba Metis Federation operates under the premise that it will protect Red River Metis beyond provincial borders, and says its members do not need to be residents of Manitoba.

Three other provincial Metis organizations in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta are waiting for treaties of their own after a lengthy and contentious House of Commons committee process that is essentially defunct.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree will be in Winnipeg for the signing ceremony.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2024.