Northwestern Ontario Métis Community Marks 150th Anniversary of Signing the Adhesion to Treaty 3

September 12th marked 150 years since the Métis families of Rainy Lake and Rainy River, under the leadership of Nicholas Chatelaine, signed the Halfbreed Adhesion to Treaty No. 3. This remains the only time in Canadian history that a Métis community collectively signed an adhesion to one of the numbered treaties with the Crown.

 

The Adhesion’s text is clear. It says the Métis families of Rainy Lake and Rainy River “shall receive compensation in the way of reserves of land, payments, annuities and presents, in manner similar to that set forth in the several respects for the Indians in the said treaty.” Soon after, federal officials required these families to either join Indian Act bands or lose all benefits—they would no longer receive legal recognition as distinct Métis Community. Many refused this binary, and instead continued to live as Métis.

 

The descendants of these Métis families form part of the Northwestern Ontario Métis Community, alongside other Métis families historically connected to the region. In 2017, the Northwestern Ontario Métis Community entered into an agreement with Canada to advance reconciliation—aimed including resolution to any outstanding Métis collective claims relating to the Adhesion. Negotiations remain ongoing.

 

The Northwestern Ontario Métis Community has been clear that they do not seek the return of any First Nations reserve lands in Treaty 3, nor does it seek to merge with or become part of any Indian Act band. What the Métis descendants of the Adhesion seek is recognition and the benefit from the Adhesion as Métis as they were promised in 1875.

 

“As we reflect on this anniversary, we are reminded of our community’s strength and the resilience of our ancestors,” said Theresa Stenlund, Regional Councilor for the Northwestern Ontario Métis Community. “The Northwestern Ontario Métis Community remains committed to seeing the promises of the Halfbreed Adhesion fulfilled in a way that honors the commitments to our ancestors in 1875 and respects our fellow Treaty No.3 signatories.”

 

Media Contact: media@metisnation.org

 

The Northwestern Ontario Métis Community (NWOMC) is a distinct Métis community in Northwestern Ontario, the home of the 1875 Halfbreed Adhesion to Treaty No. 3 signed by the “Halfbreeds of Rainy Lake and Rainy River.” The NWOMC has four community councils representing over 3,000 Métis citizens in Northwestern Ontario, and is one of the historic Métis communities represented by the Métis Nation of Ontario.