Métis people have a long and proud history of military service. From the War of 1812 through both World Wars, the Korean Conflict, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and peacekeeping missions, Métis veterans have steadfastly defended their communities and served in the Canadian armed forces across generations. Many Métis veterans have extended their leadership and community service throughout the rest of their lives, long after their active duty ended. Louis George Labatte of the Upp

January 27th, 2025, marks the 185th anniversary of the Penetanguishene Petition, through which members of the Georgian Bay Métis Community wrote to the Crown demanding recognition of their distinct political identity and their inclusion in annual present-giving be restored. This petition was the first in a long line of Métis communities using petitions as a form of political advocacy from the Upper Great Lakes westward. These efforts and the Georgian Bay Métis Community fro

In 1845, the government opened lands north of Lake Huron for settlement and began negotiating treaties in the region. These newly opened lands included many Métis families’ River Lots along the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie. In 1850, the Métis were explicitly excluded from the Robinson treaties. However, during the treaty negotiations, Anishinaabe leaders had advocated for the recognition of Métis rights to their River Lots. This advocacy prompted Treaty Commissione

A common Métis way of life developed across west central North America, from the Upper Great Lakes westward, that endured over the span of centuries and connected Métis communities across vast distances through kinship, economic, and cultural ties. One example is the many petitions written by Métis communities across the Homeland, sent as proud assertions of their Métis identity and rights, and as collective responses to their pressing political issues. Not only is the ac

The Labatte family has a strong legacy of Métis political advocacy, stretching from Penetanguishene to Sault Ste. Marie. Members of the Labatte family, across multiple generations, have contributed to numerous examples of Métis collective action. Louis George Labatte, for example, served alongside others from the Métis community at Drummond Island during the War of 1812. During his service, he participated in decisive actions, including the capture of Mackinaw from the Amer

In 1842, the British officially codified the means to exclude Métis from present-giving—the Crown’s longstanding pre-treaty practice used to maintain diplomatic relationships with Indigenous peoples in the Upper Great Lakes. This new attempt at official policy reform followed the 1840 Penetanguishene Petition, in which twenty-two members of the Georgian Bay Métis Community in Penetanguishene collectively appealed for the re-establishment of equity and justice in the annual