During R. v. Powley’s  successful ten-year legal battle, Métis Nation governments rallied together behind the Powley family and their Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community.  The Métis Nation, for example, intervened at the Supreme Court of Canada through the Métis National Council to affirm the unanimous position of Métis Governments across the Homeland that the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community and Powley family are, “part of the larger Métis Nation”. While acknowledging that the

R. v. Powley  brought Métis from across the Homeland together around the common cause of having the Supreme Court of Canada affirm that the distinct Métis rights enshrined in Section 35 of Canada’s Constitution in 1982 had tangible legal meaning and protections. As part of its support for R. v. Powley , the Métis Nation—through the Métis National Council—intervened at the Supreme Court of Canada in defense of the Powley family and the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community. In its

The decision to take on Steve and Rod Powley’s Métis rights case, R. v. Powley , and ultimately support it all the way to the Supreme...

Understanding its potential historical significance and broader implications, the entire Métis Nation made the strategic decision to...

The Métis Nation’s 2003 Supreme Court of Canada victory in R. v. Powley,  and the strong foundation for Métis rights recognition that it...

The Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous decision in R. v. Powley on September 19, 2003 affirmed that members of the historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community have a constitutionally protected right to harvest and laid a foundation for further Métis rights recognition across the Métis Homeland from the Upper Great Lakes to the Rocky Mountains. Days after the Supreme Court’s Powley ruling, after having “took time to understand the court ruling and its implications”, Manitoba