A bill that could have created self-government for the Métis Nation of Ontario will not be moving ahead, according to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree.
During a House of Commons standing committee meeting earlier this week, Anandasangaree said that “at this point in the journey of C-53, I would reluctantly say that it is a bill that may be hard to continue in its current form.”
The federal government's bill proposed last year to recognize Métis Nation of Ontario, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and the Métis Nation of Alberta as Indigenous governments.
Over the past year, however, the bill has become a point of contention with Indigenous groups, specifically the Chiefs of Ontario and the Manitoba Métis Federation. In fact, the two groups held a summit in the spring to address what they view as the MNO's "cultural, identity theft."
While on this particular day, the House standing committee was looking at economic development barriers affecting Indigenous communities, committee co-chair and Bloc Québecois MP Sébastien Lemire steered the conversation to the identity question and told Anandasangaree that he and his colleagues “play an important role in identifying what is Indigenous and what is not Indigenous.”
Lemire then asked whether the government plans to formally set aside C-53 “so that it will not be tabled before Parliament.”
Prior to answering the question by only stating that it will not be moving forward with the bill, Anandasangaree thanked committee members for studying bill and had studied the bill and thanked them for their work on the matter.
“I know it wasn’t an easy conversation, there were a lot of dynamics there,” said Anandasangaree.
In a release, the Chiefs of Ontario welcomed the move and noted that it has opposed the bill since its introduction.
“We knew that legislation recognizing the Métis Nation of Ontario’s alleged section 35 Aboriginal right to self-government would be eventually introduced as part of the MNO Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Agreement with Canada,” regional Chief Abram Benedict said in the release.
“Our position has always been that the MNO cannot be included in Bill C-53 because they do not meet the legal criteria to be recognized as having section 35 rights. Bill C-53 would’ve set a dangerous precedent for the recognition of false claims to Indigenous identity.”
In a statement sent to MidlandToday, the MNO said that while it is disappointed, its "legally binding Self-Government Agreement with Canada guarantees that if this legislation is delayed, another bill will be introduced when the time is right."
The organization added: "In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with our path to full self-government. This includes implementing the SGA, building our constitution, and continuing negotiations for a modern-day treaty with Canada."
During the committee meeting, Lemire also noted that last week the Assembly of First Nations that C-53 should be withdrawn, adding that a number of Indigenous groups across Canada have asked that it be shelved and alluded to issues affecting that Métis National Council (MNC), which saw the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan leave earlier this fall, citing concerns over MNO's six "historic" communities, a move that followed the Manitoba Métis Federation's departure in 2021.
“The First Nations are a little bit tired of the cultural appropriation that has been done by members of the Métis Nation of Ontario,” Lemire said before asking the minister to clarify how the government views the MNC.
Anandasangaree replied: “I am concerned about the issues surrounding membership, but I don’t want to comment publicly on internal matters of the Métis National Council without having a wholesome conversation."
“I do look forward to speaking with the new president at the first juncture. I think it’s premature to come to any conclusions about its future.”
Procedurally, the minster's words don't mean the bill's future has actually been decided.
Anandasangaree has to either withdraw the bill or the House must prorogue in order for the bill to die since you cannot have two similar bills before Parliament at the same time. That means the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan cannot get a bill introduced regarding its own self-government hopes until C-53 is formally removed.
The MNO further states that it remains committed to upholding the rights and recognition of the Métis citizens and communities it represent.
"As the only Métis government in Canada that has successfully fought and won a case before the Supreme Court of Canada recognizing a Métis community with Section 35 rights, the MNO stands on a firm foundation of legal recognition.
"The Powley decision unequivocally recognized the Métis community in Sault Ste. Marie—as part of the larger Upper Great Lakes Métis regional community—as a rights-bearing Métis community. This recognition is the law in Canada."
In a statement from Anandasangaree's ministry, spokesman Eric Head confirmed the bill will not be moving ahead.
"The Minister has just recently met with the Presidents of MNO and MNA, and has previously sat down with the MN-S President," Head said. "We remain committed to continuing to work with MNA, MNO and MN-S on the next steps to advance their visions of self-determination and self-government."
However, Benedict said the federal government shouldn't enter into any further agreements with MNO and "cease all processes that would recognize section 35 until the MNO’s claims are independently verified.
“The MNO’s claims have never been verified by Canada, nor by Ontario, when the province recognized six new so-called ‘historic Métis communities’ in the Ontario region in 2017,” he said.
“Canada and Ontario’s recognition of MNO has been and continues to be reckless, and any future legislation introduced by Canada similar to Bill C-53 would be egregious, deeply damaging to Canada’s relationship with its treaty partners and opposed by First Nations in Ontario.”
