New report calls for Canada to work on reconciliation with Métis

The Métis Nation of Alberta hopes a new report will be a turning point in their people's history.

The report, "A Matter of National and Constitutional Import," makes a series of recommendations for Canada to improve its relationship with Métis people.

"I hope it really does mean a change," said Audrey Poitras, president of the Métis Nation of Alberta. "The Métis are a forgotten people and it can't happen any longer."

The report makes 17 recommendations, ranging from reviewing Métis' access to federal programs, such as those that provide health benefits, to establishing a national office to deal with all Métis matters in the country.

'Life changing'

The lawyer for the Métis Nation of Alberta called the report potentially life changing for people across the country, in particular its recommendations to review all federal programs.

Jason Madden said current programs designed for Aboriginal people often exclude the Métis.

"Right now we have situations in communities that are just stone's throws from First Nation reserves, where elders are able to get access to medication and Métis are not able to access those programs," said Madden.

He said it's not an exaggeration to characterize some of those situations as life and death.

"You're making choices between whether you pay your rent or whether you're able to pay for your medication," he said, adding that a recent study by the Métis Nation of Alberta found worse health outcomes than some First Nation communities.

The 50-page report was prepared by lawyer Tom Isaac, who was appointed by the Conservative government in 2015 to provide clarity on Métis rights under Section 35 of the Constitution.

Madden said the report feels like a huge breakthrough for the Métis after many years fighting through the courts.

'What I've done over the last decade is continue to throw pebbles at the window, and I think with all the court cases ... there's been cracks in that window, and hopefully that glass will fall down now," he said.

Report wants fishing and hunting rights issue resolved

Madden hopes negotiations will now begin quickly between the Métis and the federal government, and with the Alberta government, especially when it comes to resolving longstanding issues over fishing and hunting rights.

The report describes the 2007 cancellation of a previous agreement that allowed the Métis to hunt and fish for food without a licence as a "significant irritant for the Métis in Alberta."

Poitras said she has been inundated with phone calls from across Alberta about it.

"We get calls and calls and calls from people, saying I need to go out and get some food," said Poitras.

She said the termination of the agreement changed a way of life for many people, especially those in remote areas of northern Alberta.

"All of a sudden they're scared to go, because their truck or their boat is going to be taken from them," said Poitras.

She said she was encouraged the province had already committed to discuss the matter, even before Thursday's report was released.

Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett said reconciliation with the Métis is a priority for the federal government.

Richard Feehan, Alberta's minister of Indigenous relations, welcomed the report's findings and recommendations and said the province is already working with the Métis in areas of consultation.

He agreed the controversial termination of hunting and fishing rights had been "problematic," and said it was another area the provincial government was happy to discuss with the Métis and the federal government.

Feehan said the government has already been talking to the Métis about hunting and fishing rights but was not ready to make promises about a new agreement.

"I won't commit to any particular outcome, because I'm wanting to commit to a conversation with the people it affects, and I don't want to pre-judge that outcome. Instead, I'm more than happy to commit to those conversations happening with all of the Métis people of Alberta."

While not a specific recommendation in the report, the issue of the Métis hunting and trapping inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons range is mentioned.

Karen Collins, vice-president for Region 2, the northeastern area of the Métis Nation of Alberta, said she hoped to see progress there as well.

"Currently there is exclusive access only to our neighbouring First Nations communities, and I think that access needs to be extended to the Métis people that have certainly come from that traditional area," said Collins.  

Poitras said she was keen to be involved in negotiations with both levels of government as they look at implementing the recommendations in the report.

Isaac, the Vancouver based lawyer who wrote the report, is well-known across the country in the field of Aboriginal law.

His report identifies the Métis as people with a central place in the history and development of Canada whose rights are affirmed in the Constitution.

Isaac describes the Métis as a distinct Aboriginal people as the result of unions between European explorers and traders and the original inhabitants of what is now Canada.

His report shows a population of 451,795 Métis people in Canada, with 96,870 of them in Alberta, the most of any province.