Manitoba Métis Federation to be first Métis group with modern treaty with Canada

The Manitoba Métis Federation will be the first Métis group to sign a modern treaty with the federal government.

The signing ceremony is set to happen on Saturday afternoon, and will recognize the Manitoba Métis Federation as the government of the Red River Métis.

An agreement was signed in 2021 to recognize the Manitoba Métis Federation’s self-government, and its members voted yes to the treaty last year during an assembly.

The Manitoba Métis Federation operates under the premise that it will protect Red River Métis beyond provincial borders, and says its members do not need to be residents of Manitoba.

Three other provincial Métis organizations in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta are waiting for treaties of their own after a lengthy and contentious House of Commons committee process that is essentially defunct.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree will be in Winnipeg for the signing ceremony.