“connection to the… history of the Métis Nation”

The Métis Nation, its governments, and leaders have a long legacy of recognizing and uplifting the history and connection between the Upper Great Lakes Métis and broader Métis Nation, including the important historic Métis community at Sault Ste. Marie. 

In its intervention to the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Powley, the Métis National Council advanced the unanimous recognition that Métis Nation governments from Ontario-westward held for the Sault Ste. Marie Métis community, stating that:

“The Intervener agrees with the conclusions of the RCAP Report that the Sault Ste. Marie Métis community is one of the oldest and well-recognized Métis communities within Canada.” 

The Métis Nation’s Supreme Court intervention further described the Métis Nation’s collectively held rationale for recognizing the Upper Great Lakes and Sault Ste. Marie as integral parts of the broader Métis Nation. This included the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community’s long history of east-west connectivity, including to the Red River, among other factors. For these reasons and others, the Métis Nation’s intervention ultimately concluded that:

“these factors demonstrate the Sault Ste. Marie community's connection to the territory, existence and history of the Métis Nation.”

The enduring legacy of the Upper Great Lake’s connectivity and relationships throughout the Métis Nation homeland continues to this day.

See Our Sources

• MNC’s Supreme Court Factum in Powley

• Clement Chartier Presents MNC’s Powley Intervention at SCC

• Supreme Court of Canada Decision in R. v. Powley, 2003

• Hunt for Justice: The Powley Story

• Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples: Vol. 4: Perspectives and Realities

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