2003-01-22 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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!:., ...\. ii'" :::: t l' ", I <d." e'\.) . _. . l' ". " . . . !~~,L' .~_.;._.-, --) .,.'1.._-; I ;\ r 't' ' :-.~ > I r~ a .10llUj ! ()ntario etis Culture & History Louis Riel, the great Metis leader of the '1800's, defined his people in an '1885 statement He said that the patemal ancestors of the Nh3tis were the former employees of the Hudson's Bay and Northwest Fur Companies, and their maternal ancestors were Indian women of various tribes. The French word, "Metis" is derived from the Latin participle mixtus, which means "mixed"; "me!e"; it expresses well the idea that is sought to be conveyed. .;;.'i Following the anne;tation of the northwest by Canada in 1870, the political economyoithe M$tip . destroyed. Many legal instruments, including some treaties, the iVlanit0t8;:~\;tc: 870):;:,:.: Dominion L2'"j,0\ct (1879), recognized Metis claims to ,A,boriginal@e;.!Jutthe fedE.~;:r' ;jo:,"X:1!bellt attempted to "unilaterally extinguish" these claims through individual land an6 s;~,I;L23t(ip. Denied the recognition of their collective rights by political edict aione, the Metis became Canada's "forgotten people". The Metis of Ontario have faced the same exclusion and denial or their inherent Aboriginal rights. Many Metis communities were established from migration after the government's deplorable annexation of the Metis. Other Ontario iVletis communities evolved long before the annexation and still survive today, in areas throughout Ontario. Ontario Metis communities have thrived and flourished from the Ottawa Valley to Sault Sie. Marie to Kenora. The Metis have a rich and established history in the Province of Ontario. The Metis of Rainy River signed an adhesion to Treaty Three in 1873 conferring the same rights First f\Jations enjoyed upon the Metis. Presently, none of the promises of lands, rights, or annuities have been fulfilled. .As well, other Metis communities across the province still have not had their constitutionally entrenched Aboriginal rights fully recognized. Estimates of the number of Metis in Canada vary widely, from 300,000 to 600,000. A proposed federal enumeration of the Metis could provide a more accurate count of Canada's Metis population. Metis account for more than 20% of Canada's Aboriginal population. It is estimated that there are over 50,000 Metis within Ontario alone. Learn more a the culture ar history of the Louis Riel and tJjstorjca! M,;:;'t~~ The N1<~tjs FJao The Niei:!s Sasf Treat" Noo :3 Metis Adhesion