“the MNC was aware of the territories”

Despite the Métis Nation of Ontario’s longstanding public assertions related to seven historic rights-bearing Métis Nation communities in northern Ontario, the recently coined, “notion of ‘new historic communities’ has been used as a weapon against the MNO by those who disagree that these communities might be a part of the larger Métis Nation or, moreover, oppose Métis rights assertions in the province of Ontario.”

In its Final Report, the Métis National Council Expert Panel responded to revisionist attempts to rewrite Métis Nation history, such as those attempting to label historic Métis Nation communities in Ontario as “new”, while ignoring their clear inclusion in publicly available documents known to the broader Métis Nation for over a decade:

“The MNO was the first Métis government to complete harvesting negotiations with a provincial government, known as the [2004] Four Points Agreement. The Four Points Agreement led to the creation of harvesting territories, and a map which depicted Métis harvesting areas in Ontario. This map shows all the communities that were confirmed to be historical Métis communities in 2017.”

The Expert Panel further affirmed that the seven historic Métis Nation communities in northern Ontario represented by the MNO—including the extent of their harvesting-related rights assertions published in 2004—were also celebrated by Métis Nation leaders from across the Homeland, including then-MNC President, Clement Chartier, who spoke at the announcement ceremony for the 2004 Four Point Agreement:

“‘no one claimed the MNO was threatening the Metis Nation’s territorial integrity. In fact, it was celebrated.’ Clément Chartier also publicly endorsed the Four Points Agreement, and maps depicting the harvesting area were used in Métis rights presentations by the MNO. This evidence makes it clear that the MNC was aware of the territories that the MNO was claiming as historical Métis territory before 2017.”

President Chartier’s congratulatory remarks at the MNO’s 2004 Four Points Agreement announcement added to generations of documentary evidence affirming the Métis Nation’s knowledge of, acceptance, and consistent support for historic Métis Nation communities in northern Ontario.

See Our Sources

• MNO PlainSpeak Harvesting Document

• 2004 MNO-MNR Harvesting Agreement Map

• MNC Expert Panel Final Report

• MNO’s Written Submission to the MNC Expert Panel

• Expert Panel – Métis National Council

• MNC Expert Panel Enabling Resolutions and Terms of Reference

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