Alberta's
Métis people
The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...
are descendants of mixed
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
/
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
and
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
/
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an families. The Métis are considered an
aboriginal group under Canada's ''
Constitution Act, 1982
The ''Constitution Act, 1982'' (french: link=no, Loi constitutionnelle de 1982) is a part of the Constitution of Canada.Formally enacted as Schedule B of the ''Canada Act 1982'', enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Section 60 of t ...
''. They are separate and distinct from First Nations, though they live in the same regions and have cultural similarities, and have different legal rights.
Different Métis groups attempted to combine the joint influences of the Manitoba Métis Federation, the
Métis Nation of Alberta
The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) is a registered not-for-profit society in Alberta, Canada, that acts as a representative voice on behalf of Métis people within the province.
Formed in 1928 as the Métis Association of Alberta, its primary fo ...
, and the Métis Nation Saskatchewan. This was done in hopes that
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
's Métis would receive land and resource rights.
In Alberta, unlike in the rest of Canada, Métis people have certain lands reserved for them under the ''
Métis Population Betterment Act'' of 1938, known today as the eight Métis settlements. These Métis settlements federated in 1975 to protect existing Métis settlement lands following the Alberta Government's dissolution, by
order-in-council
An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...
of four Métis settlements from 1950 to 1960. Following legal challenges by the
Federation of Métis Settlements
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-governi ...
in 1975 for the loss of natural resource against Alberta, the
Crown in Right of Alberta settled out of court and passed a suite of legislation that would see self-government, land, and money transferred to the newly formed government of the
Métis Settlements General Council (MSGC), Canada’s only Métis self-government. The MSGC is the legislator of the Federation of Métis Settlements. The MSGC is the second largest land owner in the Province of Alberta.
Most people who self-identify as Métis in Alberta do not live in a Métis settlement. According to the 2016 census, 57.7% of self-reported Métis in Alberta lived in either
Census Division No. 11 (which includes the
Edmonton Metropolitan Region
The Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR), also commonly referred to as Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Alberta's provincial capital of Edmonton.
The EMR's commonly known boundaries are coincide ...
) or
Census Division No. 6 (which includes the
Calgary Metropolitan Region
The Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR), also commonly referred to as the Calgary Region, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Calgary, the largest city in Alberta.
With the Government of Alberta's establishment of the Calgary Metropo ...
), with the majority of those residing in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
. These Métis people are represented politically by one of three organizations – the Métis Nation of Alberta (founded in 1928), the
Alberta Métis Federation (founded in 2020), or the
Aboriginal Congress of Alberta Association.
History
Métis history in Alberta begins with the
North American fur trade
The North American fur trade is the commercial trade in furs in North America. Various Indigenous peoples of the Americas traded furs with other tribes during the pre-Columbian era. Europeans started their participation in the North American fur ...
. The Métis
developed as a people by the interactions of European fur trading agents and First Nations communities. From 1670 to 1821, Métis populations grew regionally, typically around fur-trading posts of the
North-West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...
and the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
. For example,
Fort Edmonton
Fort Edmonton (also named Edmonton House) was the name of a series of trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from 1795 to 1914, all of which were located on the north banks of the North Saskatchewan River in what is now central Alberta, ...
spawned a large Métis population that was involved in an
annual buffalo hunt for many years. These Métis helped to establish the nearby settlements of
Lac Ste. Anne (1844),
St. Albert (1861),
Lac La Biche (1853), and
St. Paul de Métis (1890). The Hudson's Bay Company's land claim in the west (called
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land (french: Terre de Rupert), or Prince Rupert's Land (french: Terre du Prince Rupert, link=no), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin; this was further extended from Rupert's Land t ...
) was sold to the newly formed Dominion of Canada with the passing of ''
The British North America Act, 1867'' (Canadas founding Constitution, 1867). The sale of the Hudson's Bay Company's territory in 1869/70 officially ended its legal monopoly on the fur trade (not enforced since the trial of Métis trapper
Guillaume Sayer Pierre Guillaume Sayer (October 18, 1799 – August 7, 1868) was a Métis people (Canada), Métis fur trader whose trial was a turning point in the ending of the monopoly of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) of the fur trade in North America.
Life ...
in 1849). The fur trade was an economic boom for the Métis as it opened the fur and buffalo meat trades to private Métis and non-Metis traders. However, it also exposed them to a flood of European and Canadian colonists seeking to profit and disenfranchise the Métis from their lands. Métis living closer to Canadian occupied territory such as the Red River Métis, today in parts of
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
and
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
, took up arms against the Canadian government in the two failed
Riel Rebellions (or "Riel Resistances" in
1869 and
1885) in an attempt to assert their rights in the face of the newcomers. Following the rebellions, some Red River Métis fled northwest, married into the northwest Métis populations of
northern Alberta
Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.
An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the cent ...
(formerly known as the
District of Athabaska in the
North-West Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
) or assimilated into surrounding Euro-Canadian society. The end of these rebellions, combined with the collapse of the fur and buffalo meat industries, forced many Albertan Métis off their lands and reduced them to critical levels of poverty. On the whole, the Métis cultures and communities survived with farming, ranching, fishing, and industry replacing their traditional economy of fur trading as the main economic activity in the
Parkland Belt
Aspen parkland refers to a very large area of ecotone, transitional biome between prairie and boreal forest in two sections, namely the Peace River Country of northwestern Alberta crossing the border into British Columbia, and a much larger area ...
, though trapping and hunting have remained very important in the
Rocky Mountain
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
and
boreal forest
Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...
regions. More urban Métis who live in close proximity to other cultural groups may have intermarried and assimilated into mainstream Euro-Albertan society to the point that their descendants no longer recognize themselves as Métis. However, in much of
northern Alberta
Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.
An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the cent ...
, the Métis in more remote rural and isolated communities have remained culturally distinct. Many of the contemporary Métis settlement population have retained their unique cultural heritage and history due to land grants provided by
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
by way of the ''Metis Population Betterment Act'' of 1938. This act gave back a certain amount of land to the Métis for their use. In 1990, the constitution would be the ''Alberta Amendment Act'' 3.
In the early 20th century, as a response to Métis dispossession and impoverishment following the collapse of the fur trade and marginalization of Métis by the newly dominate Canadian society, Métis political organization, dormant since the Riel Rebellions, was revived in the 1920s by a number of competing organizations such as the Half-Breed Association, the Métis Association, and the Half-breed Association of Northern Alberta. In 1932, a lasting and successful organization was founded following large half-breed gatherings in
Frog Lake Frog Lake may refer to:
* Frog Lake, Alberta, a Cree community in Canada, site of the
** Frog Lake Massacre
* Frog Lake (Colchester), a lake of Colchester County, in Nova Scotia, Canada
* Frog Lake (Guysborough), a lake of Guysborough District, i ...
and
Fishing Lake
Fishing Lake is a closed basin freshwater lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The lake is north of the town of Foam Lake, and east of the town of Wadena and is accessed from Highways 5 and 310. The northern and eastern shore ...
. These gatherings were organized by grassroots leaders such as Charles Delores and Dieudonne Collins. They called upon the expertise of a local enfranchised Indian named Joesepf Dion of the
Kehewin Cree Nation
The Kehewin Cree Nation ( cr, ᑭᐦᐁᐤ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ ᐊᐢᑭᐩ, kihêw nehiyaw askiy) is a First Nations band government in northern Alberta. A signatory to Treaty 6, it controls one Indian reserve, Kehewin 123
Kehewin 123 is an Indian ...
, approximately from St. Paul Des Metis. The lasting organization would be known as "L'Association des Métis d'Alberta et les Territories du Nord-Ouest" by the Métis "famous five" –
Malcolm Norris
Malcolm Norris (1900–1967) was an influential Canadian Métis leader of the twentieth century, and celebrated Aboriginal activist.
He was born to pioneer Edmonton businessman John Norris and his Metis wife Euphrosine Plante, in 1900 in Edmonton ...
, Jim Brady,
Peter Tomkins
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
,
Joseph Dion, and
Felix Calliou. This organization would fight for the recognition and formal establishment of the Métis settlements. The famous five would go on to pressure the
Government of Alberta
The government of Alberta (french: gouvernement de l'Alberta) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Alberta. As a constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor—i ...
on behalf of the Metis populations for a protected homeland. In response to the pressured lobbying, the Alberta legislature would call for a Royal Commission, entitled "The Ewing Commission", to investigate the conditions of the "Half-Breeds" (Métis) within the province. The Ewing Commission's (Ewing
royal commission) final report called for a Métis land base and that it be provided by the provincial government under the ''
Natural Resource Transfer Act, 1930''.
In 1895, permanent settlements were erected. Ottawa had allowed the Oblate missionaries to enter into a 21-year lease under the ''
Dominion Lands Act
The ''Dominion Lands Act'' (long title: ''An Act Respecting the Public Lands of the Dominion'') was an 1872 Canadian law that aimed to encourage the settlement of the Canadian Prairies and to help prevent the area being claimed by the United Sta ...
''.
The result of the report was the creation of twelve Métis settlements in 1938 by way of the ''
Métis Population Betterment Act''. In the late 1950s, four of these settlements (Touchwood, Marlboro, Cold Lake, and Wolf Lake) were closed, requiring residents to relocate to the remaining eight settlements, all north of Edmonton. In 1938, the
Peavine Metis Settlement
Peavine Metis Settlement is a Metis settlement in northern Alberta, Canada within Big Lakes County. It is located on Highway 750 to the northeast of High Prairie.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Pe ...
encompassed of boreal forest. Due to being resettled so many times, the Métis on the Peavine Metis Settlement were not very connected to that land compared to their ancestors.
The Alberta Federation of Metis Settlements, now
Metis Settlements of Alberta, was formed in 1975 as the umbrella organization to unite all eight settlement councils.
Different Métis groups attempted to combine the joint influences of the Manitoba Métis Federation, the Métis Nation of Alberta, and Métis Nation Saskatchewan. This was done in hope that the Métis of Alberta would receive land and resource rights.
In 1989, through decades of negotiations and meetings, the Alberta Federation of Metis Settlements and the Government of Alberta reached an agreement, the Alberta-Metis Settlements Accord, that involved the payment of $310 million to the Métis and the passage of four bills. The legislation consisted of the ''
Metis Settlements Accord Implementation Act'' (Bill 33), the ''
Metis Settlements Land Protection Act'' (Bill 34), the ''
Metis Settlements Act'' (Bill 35), and the ''
Constitution of Alberta Amendment Act 1990'' (Bill 36). Through this legislation, title to a total of of land was transferred to the Metis Settlements General Council (MSGC).
As of the 2006 Canadian census,
Big Lakes County
Big Lakes County, formerly the Municipal District of Big Lakes, is a municipal district in north-central Alberta, Canada.
It is located in Census Division 17, around the Lesser Slave Lake. Utikuma Lake and Winagami Lake are also located i ...
had the most Métis people per capita of any Canadian
census subdivision
The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of sta ...
with a population of 5,000 or more. This was due to the inclusion of the population of three Métis settlements within Big Lakes County's totals.
Recently, many other Métis people have moved to larger urban centres, becoming
urban aboriginals
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
. In 2006, a total of 27,740 persons living in the
Edmonton census metropolitan area (CMA) identified as Métis, accounting for just over half (53%) of the region's Aboriginal population.
Between 2001 and 2006, the Métis population in the Edmonton CMA grew by 32%.
Despite their recent legal victories, Métis people in Alberta still faced higher rates of unemployment and disease and lower average incomes than their non-aboriginal neighbours as of 2006.
The exact population number of Métis people in Alberta is undetermined due to the details surrounding what qualifies a person to be considered "Métis". Usually, a Métis person is someone that descended from an Indigenous person and a Caucasian settler. However, there are a few different groups that consider themselves to be Métis including Indigenous peoples who are from Manitoba Red River Métis of the 1800s or all Indigenous peoples from Canada that are not recognized under the ''
Indian Act
The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still ...
''.
The Mountain Métis
The Mountain Métis are a distinct Métis group who are descendants of Métis who lived in the
Athabasca River
The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') is a river in Alberta, Canada, which originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is pro ...
valley near
Jasper House
Jasper House National Historic Site, in Jasper National Park, Alberta, is the site of a trading post on the Athabasca River that functioned in two different locations from 1813 to 1884 as a major staging and supply post for travel through the Can ...
in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. In 1909 and 1910, a small group of families were evicted from
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...
by the federal government to enable the creation of the park. They were compensated only for their improvements made to the land and not the land itself. Their descendants have fought since that time for compensation and recognition of their rights as an Aboriginal group. Their lobbying (along with non-Métis trappers and guides) was partly responsible the creation of the
Willmore Wilderness Park
Willmore Wilderness Park, located in Alberta, Canada, is a wilderness area adjacent to Jasper National Park. It is lesser known and less visited than Jasper National Park. There are no public roads, bridges or buildings. There are, however, seve ...
in the 1950s, which they hoped would protect this hunting and trapping ground from
oil and gas exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration (or oil and gas exploration) is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for deposits of hydrocarbons, particularly petroleum and natural gas, in the Earth using petroleum geology.
Exploration methods
Vis ...
.
They have since come into conflict with some environmentalists and government officials who would prefer to exclude hunting and trapping from all parks in Alberta.
The Mountain Métis are represented by
Grande Cache Metis Local 1994, a local affiliate of the Métis Nation of Alberta.
Politics
The Government of Canada has been in negotiations since with two Métis organizations, the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) since 2016 and the Métis Settlements General Council (MSGC) since 2017. The MSGC "is the political and administrative body for the collective interests of the eight Metis Settlements... the General Council has 44 members consisting of 40 elected members from the Settlements, and 4 elected Executive members." In June 2019, the Government of Canada signed a ''Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreement'' with the Métis Nation of Alberta, by which Canada recognized that the Métis Nation within Alberta has an inherent right to self-government and mandated the MNA to implement this right on its behalf.
During the constitutional talks in the early 1980s, the MNAA was revived.
The mandate of the MNA is to:
* be a representative voice on behalf of Métis people in Alberta;
* provide Métis people an opportunity to participate in the government’s policy and decision making process; and
* promote and facilitate the advancement of Métis people through the pursuit of self-reliance, self-determination, and self-management.
Overall, the MNA has evolved from an organization:
* with a small membership to an organization whose membership exceeds 35,000 people spread across Alberta;
* focused on community consultation and representation to an organization that is both a representative body and a program and service provider;
* responsible for implementing specific projects to an organization responsible for providing ongoing programs and services; and
* that simply reacted to government policy changes to an organization that is called upon to actively participate in the policy formulation process.
Expectations have been established for the MNA through the:
* Alberta/MNA Framework Agreement process;
* Federal/Provincial/MNA Tripartite Process Agreement process; and
* Government of Alberta’s Aboriginal Policy Framework.
A steady rise has been observed in the number of Métis people in Alberta who have registered as members of the MNA. Métis people in Alberta are recognizing the benefits of MNA memberships and the importance of the MNA as an organization.
As well, the MNA has transitioned from solely a representative body to an organization responsible and accountable for the ongoing delivery of a variety of programs and services. The MNA continues to make strides as an organization and develops and implements a number of projects and initiatives (including Apeetogosan Development Inc., Métis Urban Housing Corporation of Alberta, and the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement – Labour Market Unit.)
The MNA has responsibilities and expectations and becoming a more results-based organization. It has addressed issues relating to internal governance and has developed the administrative capacity to meet the expectations that are placed upon the MNA.
The MNA plays a role in the policy development process. Its elected officials and staff sit on committees responsible for an array of issues.
The Rupertsland Institute of Alberta is an affiliate to the Metis Nation of Alberta. Its mission is to enhance the individual self-sufficiency and the collective well-being of Metis people through education, training, and research.
Powley Case
There was a law defining case that is recognized as the first time the issue of Métis rights were recognized under
section 35 of the ''Constitution Act, 1982''. Steve Powley was scrutinized and almost punished for knowingly hunting without a license in
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants ...
. When the case made it to the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
, Powley’s case was protected by the Métis Aboriginal right to hunt and the case was dismissed.
List of settlements
See also
*
List of communities in Alberta
The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of local governments – urban municipalities (including cities, towns, villages and summer villages), specialized municipalities, rural municipalities (including municipal district ...
*
List of designated places in Alberta
A designated place is a type of geographic unit used by Statistics Canada to disseminate census data. It is usually "a small community that does not meet the criteria used to define incorporated municipalities or Statistics Canada Population cen ...
*
List of Indian reserves in Alberta
Indian reserves for First Nations in Alberta were established by a series of treaties — Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 8.
According to the Government of Alberta reserves cover a total area of . However, according to Indigenous and Northern A ...
*
List of municipalities in Alberta
Alberta is the fourth-most populous province in Canada with 4,262,635 residents as of 2021 Census of Population and is the fourth-largest in land area at . Alberta's 344 municipalities cover of the province's land mass and are home to of i ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Métis Nation of AlbertaMétis Settlements Act*
ttp://www.rupertsland.org/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metis in Alberta