Many of the oldest Métis settlements in west-central North America emerged along the frequently travelled waterways of the fur trade. Generations of Métis have subsequently obtained diverse and meaningful employment on the lakes and rivers of their traditional territories. Members of the Abitibi Inland Métis Community, for example, overcame racist Hudson’s Bay Company employment policies to carve out specialized roles as boat steerers and collectively advocate for fair wage

On October 7, 2004—exactly three months after the signing of the Métis Nation of Ontario’s landmark interim Harvesting Agreement—Ontario...

On July 7, 2004, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources signed the first-ever negotiated agreement recognizing Métis harvesting rights anywhere in the Métis homeland. The interim harvesting agreement contained a four-point recognition framework, intended to support the implementation of the Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous decision in R. v. Powley beyond the historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community, where credible Métis rights ass

On July 7, 2004, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources made history together by signing the first-ever negotiated agreement recognizing Métis harvesting rights anywhere in the Métis homeland. Known as the “Four Points Agreement,” the interim Harvesting Agreement emerged less than a year after the Supreme Court of Canada’s historic decision in R. v. Powley (2003). The Supreme Court’s unanimous Powley ruling made it clear: historic Mé

In response to the unjust prosecution of Métis harvesters, the Métis Nation of Ontario’s 1994 Founding Delegates Assembly adopted several resolutions to defend the exercise of inherent Métis harvesting rights and pursue negotiated harvesting agreements within the province. At the same time, MNO’s Founding Delegates also adopted numerous shared Métis values intended to guide the Métis Nation of Ontario’s subsequent negotiations and legal rights recognition strategies. This inc

The Métis Nation of Ontario’s 1994 Founding Delegates Assembly coincided with the unjust prosecution of numerous Métis harvesters,...