The 1893 Fort Albany Métis Petition
- Ontario Métis Facts
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
In 1893, Métis living at Fort Albany on James Bay petitioned Parliament “to consider favourably the claims of the Half-breeds of that Country for compensation in lieu of lands” as “compensation for the extinction of the half-breed title to the soil”.
The following year, after the government’s refusals to issue Métis scrip in the region, Métis petitioner and Archdeacon, Thomas Vincent, penned a follow up letter on behalf of Métis living around the Hudson’s Bay Post at Fort Albany. His January 31, 1894, letter states that:
“we have unanimously concluded—after due consideration—to accept money compensation for all claimants, as a Fee Simple from the Crown for our title to the soil”
Like in many historic Métis communities in what became Ontario, members of the Abitibi-Inland Métis Community, including those living at Fort Albany, had Métis family members living further west who had received Métis scrip as part of the Canadian government’s campaign intended to extinguish Métis land rights and make way for Canadian settlement.
Due to arbitrary Canadian policies, however, which limited scrip issuance to certain regions, Métis living in “Keewatin”—the name given to Rupert’s Land after 1870—or further westward were eligible to receive “Half-Breed” scrip, while those living in Ontario were not. This resulted in scrip eligibility for families of Abitibi Inland Métis Community members who had previously moved further westward, including to the Red River region, but exclusion for those who remained in Fort Albany and other Abitibi Inland Métis Community settlements.
Despite the community’s continued advocacy, including additional scrip applications and correspondence between Thomas Vincent and government officials, the Abitibi-Inland Métis Community’s calls have largely remained ignored.
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