Métis Nation-Saskatchewan pulls out of Bill C-53 – the proposed federal self-government legislation
(April 17, 2024) In a bomb shell announcement late today, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) has dropped its support for Bill C-53, the proposed federal legislation that provides for the recognition of Métis governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan and provides a framework for the implementation of treaties entered into by those Métis governments and the Government of Canada.
The problem is that Bill C-53 has run into significant challenges in Parliament and MN-S points to legal and political issues arising in Alberta (Métis Nation Alberta) and Ontario (Métis Nation Ontario) as contributing to the stalling of the bill. According to a letter put out late today by the President of MN-S Glen McCallum, he said, “…it has become increasingly clear that the one size fits-all approach proposed by the federal government is fundamentally flawed and does not align with the aspirations of the MN-S and our citizens.” He then goes onto say that MN-S will pursue its own treaty with Canada.
This action by MN-S will stall passage of the bill even more and may even cause the federal government to decide not to pursue it at all because they have already run into tremendous resistance from First Nations in Ontario over the issue of new Métis communities in Ontario that MNO claims are historical. The Chiefs of Ontario, backed by First Nations across the country, refuse to accept the communities as legitimate Métis rights-holders because they believe these communities never existed. The Manitoba Métis Federation has also been strongly critical of the legislation saying that Bill C-53 has emerged as a flashpoint in the debate over Indigenous identity theft.
So how will all this affect Métis Nation British Columbia’s (MNBC) pursuit of self-government? Former MNBC President Clara Morin Dal Col said, “This latest move creates a big problem for MNBC because the federal government will not want to open up another issue here in British Columbia while they try and figure out what to do with what’s left of Bill C-53. Given the enormous push-back they received from First Nations in Ontario they will not be very inclined to open up potential issues here in BC.”
Ms. Morin Dal Col who is seeking the MNBC Presidency in September noted that some 18 months ago the current Vice President of MNBC told the Métis National Council Annual General Assembly in Vancouver that he hoped and dreamed that MNBC would be able to sign a self-government agreement within 18 months. She said, “18 months have come and gone – so much for that dream.”
Ms. Morin Dal Col said, “I opposed MNO’s claim at the time when they added these so called historic Métis communities in Ontario, and my position has not changed because they were never part of the Métis Homeland but this current Board disagreed with my position at the MNC. I was removed from office in 2021 and once they removed me, they moved quickly to support MNO and with others, bring them back into the Métis National Council. That issue in Ontario is one of the main reasons that Bill C-53 is stalled in Parliament which today has led to MN-S pulling out of it. This latest move creates a big problem for MNBC and self-government.”
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