Métis Nation of Ontario

[6][7] While many Métis were of French descent, according to Campbell, there was a significant Anglo-Métis population around the Great Lakes and James Bay areas, who were the result of marriages à la façon du pays between Indigenous women and English or Scottish fur traders and British soldiers.

[8][9] Peterson writes that there were Métis populations that started to live around forts run by these companies, particularly around places such as Sault Ste.

[13][14] Many of these Métis were forced to practice their traditions in private while publicly assimilating into white Canadian society with varying degrees of success.

[5] Jennifer Hayter adds: "With increased immigration to Canada, reserves became in many cases the only safe enclaves for Indigenous peoples to practice their traditions and way of life.

The landmark R v. Powley case of 2003 brought this situation to national attention when the judge ruled that the Métis community had become ‘invisible’ but was not destroyed.

Marie Métis community facing hunting violation charges under the Ontario Game and Fish Act.

[24] These historical and contemporary communities remain interconnected, not only by physical waterways but also through intricate kinship networks that unite Métis families across their ancestral homelands.

[35] The provincial leadership takes the form of the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO), which is accountable to MNO citizens at their Annual General Assemblies.

The PCMNO has an executive section with five members, nine councilors for the different regions of Ontario, representatives for the youth and university-age segments of the populations, and four senators.

[36] In February 2023, a significant milestone was reached as Canada and the MNO came together to sign a Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Agreement.

This Self-Government Agreement and legislation solely pertain to Métis people and do not impact First Nations, Inuit, or any other Canadians.