“an integral part of the Métis Nation”
- Ontario Métis Facts
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
In 2021, as an act of Métis Nation self-determination, the Métis Governments that then made up the Métis National Council (MNC)—the Métis Nation of Ontario; the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan; the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and the Métis Nation British Columbia—established an independent Expert Panel to conduct a comprehensive study of historic Métis Nation communities in Ontario through the lens of the 2002 National Definition and contemporary Métis governance.
The Expert Panel was made up of trusted Métis experts—one appointed by each Métis government—with proven knowledge of Métis history, governance, and law.
During the course of its study, the Expert Panel reviewed over 50,000 pages of evidence, engaged with over 160 Métis Nation citizens, elders, youth, scholars, and leaders during more than 120 hours of meetings, and visited the seven Métis communities to engage with and gather additional evidence from community members themselves.
Following a year of independent investigation, the MNC Expert Panel issued a 260-page Final Report outlining the fact-based historic and contemporary relationships between the seven Métis communities in northern Ontario and the larger Métis Nation. The MNC Expert Panel’s Final Report represented the most comprehensive, transparent, ethical, and objective study ever conducted on historic Métis Nation communities in what is now Ontario.
In its conclusions, the Final Report unambiguously confirms generations of shared culture, kinship, and political alliances between the seven Métis Nation communities in northern Ontario and those further west, saying:
“It is therefore our expert opinion that these individuals and communities form an integral part of the Métis Nation and its Homeland.”
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