Ottawa, ON (September 18, 2023) — The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) looks forward to this parliamentary session being one of reconciliation-in-action. On June 21, 2023, Bill C-53: An Act respecting the recognition of certain Métis governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan was introduced into the House of Commons by unanimous consent. Bill C-53 affirms the recognition of our Métis government, including our law-making powers regarding MNO citizenship, MNO elections, and the MNO’s internal operations.
Bill C-53 is about overcoming Canada’s colonial legacy of denial towards the Métis
Unlike First Nations who had the Indian Act imposed on them, Canada’s colonial policies towards the Métis were to ignore and deny the existence of Métis communities, Métis collectively held rights and Métis self-government.
The Supreme Court of Canada has described the result of this colonial legacy this way: “[a]lthough widely recognized as a culturally distinct Aboriginal people living in culturally distinct communities, the law remained blind to the unique history of the Métis and their unique needs.”
Instead of giving up, Métis in Ontario and the prairies have preserved and built their own self-government structures over generations. Bill C-53 will finally recognize these Métis governments in a manner that respects the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and the repeated direction of the Supreme Court of Canada.
Bill C-53 is about protecting Métis babies, children and families
Bill C-53 is about ensuring Métis babies and children who end up in the child welfare system are protected. Like other Indigenous governments, the MNO is seeking to ensure it has the ability to assist and protect Métis children, families and communities in Ontario. Bill C-53 will mean Ontario Métis can finally protect our children.
Bill C-53 is about improving the lives of Ontario Métis children, families and communities
Bill C-53 is about ensuring Ontario Métis finally have a say over our collective future. It commits Canada to a new fiscal relationship with the MNO so we can develop programming to meet the unique and evolving needs of our citizens.
Bill C-53 is about ensuring Métis have the right to care for our elderly, help our young people kickstart their careers, and aid citizens in securing housing. Through self-government, we will be able to make choices that make sense for our citizens and communities, not Ottawa.
Bill C-53 does not affect or deal with lands, land rights or anyone else’s rights or interests
Bill C-53 only applies to the MNO, the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, and the Métis Nation of Alberta. The legislation has the full support of these Métis governments. Each of the citizens these Métis governments represent willingly apply for citizenship and must meet stringent requirements of proof.
Bill C-53 does not impact the rights of any other Indigenous peoples—including First Nations or other Métis groups. It does not deal with lands, land-related rights such as harvesting or Métis claims. It is only about Métis self-government and its relationship with Canada.
Bill C-53 is the same as other self-government legislation adopted for First Nations and Inuit
Bill C-53 is nearly identical to the more than two dozen other pieces of Indigenous self- government and treaty implementation legislation passed swiftly by Parliament since 1975.
Significantly, Bill C-53 is the first piece of Métis self-government legislation. Métis are only asking to be treated the same as other Indigenous peoples who have seen their self-government legislation passed expeditiously and respectfully.
Moreover, Bill C-53’s passage will ensure Canada’s colonial legacy of denying the Métis is finally overcome. After over 200 years of perseverance and struggle and years of negotiations, the time has finally come for Canada to recognize the Métis.
The MNO is calling upon all parliamentarians to work with us to ensure all-party cooperation to move our self-government legislation through both houses by the end of the year.
Additional Resources:
For more information about the importance of Bill C-53 to the Métis, a plain-language explainer of the Bill, and several fact sheets, please visit: www.BillC53.ca
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