Northwestern Ontario: “of the Métis Nation”

The Rainy Lake/Lake of the Woods Historic Métis Community, known today as the Northwestern Ontario Métis Community, was one of seven historic Métis Nation communities in northern Ontario studied by the landmark MNC Expert Panel through the lens of the 2002 National Definition and contemporary Métis governance.

During its year-long study, the MNC 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 Rainy Lake/Lake of the Woods Historic Métis Community to engage with and gather additional evidence from community members themselves.

The MNC Expert Panel’s 260-page Final Report represented the most comprehensive, transparent, ethical, and objective study ever conducted on historic Métis Nation communities in what is now Ontario and outlined fact-based historic and contemporary relationships between the Rainy Lake/Lake of the Woods Historic Métis Community and the larger Métis Nation.

The Expert Panel’s conclusions were unambiguous, stating that the Rainy River/Lake of the Woods Historic Métis Community “clearly meets the threshold and is a member of the Métis Nation” (pg. 124) as per the National Definition and contemporary Métis governance.

The Expert Panel also recognized that, “The community is clearly located within the 2018 map and within what would be considered Western Canada, as per the National Definition,” (pg. 125) with such clear “evidence of outside ascription and collective understanding as a separate people from European and First Nation groups... that it seems difficult to imagine anyone arguing otherwise” (pg. 130)..

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