Founded in the early 1990’s, by the will of Ontario Métis, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) represents the collective aspirations, rights and interests of Métis people and communities throughout Ontario. The MNO has a democratic, province-wide governance structure. Every four years Métis citizens have the opportunity to choose their provincial and regional leadership, by voting in province-wide ballot box elections.
In addition, Community Councils have been established throughout the province. They get their mandate to support local governance from the MNO through signed Community Charter agreements, and work collaboratively with the MNO and other Community Councils to represent the rights and interests of regional rights-bearing Métis communities throughout the province.
As the only recognized provincial Métis governance structure in Ontario, the MNO has advanced the Métis rights agenda through the precedent setting Powley case. The MNO has established bilateral and tripartite processes with the federal and provincial governments and in November, 2008 signed an Ontario-Métis Nation Framework Agreement with the Government of Ontario. The MNO also has a negotiated accommodation agreement with the provincial government on Métis harvesting rights.