A Milestone in Métis Recognition
- Ontario Métis Facts
- Jul 7
- 2 min read
On July 7, 2004, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources made history together by signing the first-ever negotiated agreement recognizing Métis harvesting rights anywhere in the Métis homeland.
Known as the “Four Points Agreement,” the interim Harvesting Agreement emerged less than a year after the Supreme Court of Canada’s historic decision in R. v. Powley (2003).
The Supreme Court’s unanimous Powley ruling made it clear: historic Métis communities have the right to harvest for food, protected by section 35 of Canada’s Constitution Act, 1982. But how to apply this legal precedent beyond the historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community—around which the Powley case revolved—was the next hurdle.
Rather than return to the courts to litigate every historic Métis community, one at a time, the MNO and province engaged in a collaborative negotiation to implement the Supreme Court’s decision on an interim basis, giving practical effect to Métis harvesting rights protection on the ground.
The signing was widely celebrated—not only by Métis citizens and communities in Ontario, but by Métis leadership across the Homeland. Then-Métis National Council President Clément Chartier called it “a great day” for the entire Métis Nation.
The Anishinabek Nation’s Deputy Grand Chief Nelson Toulouse also attended the MNO’s Annual General Assembly to offer congratulations and spoke to the deep kinship ties between the Métis and Anishinaabek peoples.
Although it has since been replaced by the 2018 Framework Agreement on Métis Harvesting, the 2004 Four Points Agreement remains a milestone in Métis rights recognition. It was a testament to the MNO’s persistence, the power of the Powley decision, and the possibility of governments working together to advance reconciliation.
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