(May 17, 2023) Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) has been trying desperately for months to convince the federal government that they are a government and deserving of self-government status, even attending the federal Liberal Party convention earlier this month in Ottawa and hosting a big reception using public dollars.
However Indigenous Services Canada has already indicated that MNBC does not meet the requirements to be considered an Indigenous governing body, in connection with MNBC’s intention to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services under Bill C-92. The federal government’s reasoning - at the present there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that MNBC has been authorized by any communities that hold rights recognized and affirmed by s.35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. MNBC has initiated legal action in the Federal Court challenging the federal position. That case has not yet been heard.
But now the whole issue of self-government has encountered more strong headwinds. Some First Nations in Ontario have initiated legal action against a self-government agreement for Métis Nation Ontario that was signed earlier this year disputing the asserted presence of Métis communities in their homeland. It is likely that the federal government will hit the pause button on any other self-government agreements until the Ontario issue is dealt with.
So as MNBC gets desperate in trying to gain federal recognition, and in addition to spending thousands of public dollars at a federal political party event, they have now rolled out a letter that they just happened to have received from the provincial minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation that states (in part) that BC recognizes MNBC as the representative government for Métis in British Columbia. However the letter does not state that MNBC is self-governing nor even an Indigenous governing body. The letter goes on to say that the province recognizes that Métis people in BC have certain aboriginal rights but does not spell out those rights.
BC Métis Leader and former MNBC President Clara Morin Dal Col says, “The priority should be on defining the rights we have as Métis people in British Columbia. Self-government for this current Board would be very challenging because it would require fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency.”
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For further information:
Contact Clara Morin Dal Col
BC Métis Leader
Email: cmdalcol@gmail.com
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