The Métis and Anishinaabe communities of Sault Ste. Marie have been long-time allies. Perhaps the most notable example of allyship between the two political groups occurred both during and after the Mica Bay Incident—one of the most important moments in the history of Crown-Indigenous relations in the Upper Great Lakes. Following their collective action at Mica Bay alongside their Métis allies, the Anishinaabek Chiefs Shingwaukonse-ibun and Nebainagoching-ibun advocated f

The Abitibi Inland Métis Community’s distinctive identity and enduring presence has been recognized in numerous official records in both historical and contemporary times. This included recognition within the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples—commonly referred to as RCAP—that was established in 1991 to examine Canada’s ongoing relationships with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. The RCAP final report, delivered in 1996, acknowledged numerous documented histori

After the imposition of the international border following the War of 1812, the Métis community living on Drummond Island, just east of Sault Ste. Marie, was relocated to Penetanguishene. While the Métis community rebuilt their lives together in their new home, preserving and celebrating their Métis traditions, they faced anti-Métis prejudice from their new neighbours, both at the nearby naval base and from the growing settler population that began arriving in the area in th

Louis Riel’s execution by Canada on November 16, 1885, cast a long shadow over Métis communities throughout the Métis Homeland, including Métis communities in the Upper Great Lakes and northern Ontario. Since the Red River Resistance of 1869/70, southern Ontario had been an epicentre for anti-Métis racism. Like Prime Minister John A. Macdonald’s federal government, the Ontario provincial government—led by Premier Edward Blake—was dominated by English-speaking Protestants that