Métis Nation of Ontario calls for federal land claim process
After 171 years of broken land promises, the Metis Nation of Ontario are calling on the federal government to create framework for dealing with historical grievances.
Members from the Metis Nation of Ontario gathered in Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday to sign a letter to the federal and provincial governments, asking for the development of a formal Métis land claim process.
"You can't have a process that allows for First Nations and Inuit to have a fair, transparent and properly-resourced process, while Métis simply can't apply because of a technicality created by Indian affairs," said Mitch Case, Region 4 councillor for the Métis Nation of Ontario.
Oct. 21 marked the 171st anniversary of Treaty Commissioner William B. Robinson's report to the Crown that included the promise to protect Metis lands that make up part of the Sault's downtown core.
"Until I hear from Canada a firm no, at which point we would have to consider other options, I'm hopeful," Case said. "Whether it be monetary compensation or land-in-lieu, frankly, that's the conversation that needs to be supported by that first request, the research and consultation component because we have to have that conversation with (the) community."
Case said he would be meeting with Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan for further consultations, which was confirmed by Sheehan in a statement.
"The federal government has signed a historic Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreements with Métis partners, including the Métis Nation of Ontario," Sheehan stated.
"These agreements affirm the Métis right of self-government and also set out next steps to formally recognize Métis governments as Indigenous governments in Canadian law. They also set out processes for negotiating other agreements dealing with additional areas of jurisdiction in the future."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.