Métis Nation – Saskatchewan and Federal Government Negotiate Treaty of Self-Government

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The Métis Nation Saskatchewan is negotiating a treaty with the Canadian government to solidify self-governance for the Métis people in Saskatchewan.

This would provide constitutional guarantees to MN-S' jurisdiction over “core governance matters” such as education, language and child and family services, MN-S President Glenn McCallum said Monday.

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“Now is our opportunity,” McCallum said. “We've seen the growth of the Métis Nation over the years, but especially over the last seven years, we've grown so rapidly in the relationships that we've built with the federal government, the provincial government, industry and institutions.”

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“(And) if we enter into a treaty, we get all the rights we’ve always wanted without the federal government asking for a dime or not having the proper ability to respond to our people.”

Over the summer, Métis people in the province will have the opportunity to review the text of this modern treaty, “Kischi mashinahikan ooschi Michif” (Sacred Texts from Michif), and then vote in the fall on whether to ratify the document.

If the vote passes, MN-S expects the treaty to become federal law in 2025.

MN-S vice-president Michel Leclerc said “ongoing negotiations with Canada over the past five years” and a series of self-government agreements laid the foundation for the treaty.

The dream of a nation-to-nation agreement between the Métis people of Saskatchewan and the federal government goes back much further than that.

“This has been 150 years in the making,” Leclerc said. “Our community has fought and died for exactly what we're doing today.”

Elder Norman Fleury said knowing the treaty is possible makes him proud of his Métis heritage and gives him hope for future generations.

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“My people have been talking about this for as long as we've existed. Under Louis Riel and his council, we've always talked about this,” Fleury said, “So when I see this, adrenaline rushes through my veins. It's no different than when I talk about Louis Riel.”

Fleury said above all else, the treaty will allow her to watch her young grandchildren grow up as self-governing Métis Nation citizens, knowing that their ancestors and forefathers fought hard for their rights and ultimately won.

“If I died today or tomorrow, I'd be happy to say that Michif culture is alive and well and that we've been able to document it through the documents that we have,” Fleury said. “It's alive and well. We continue to utilize it. It's no longer an aspiration, it's a dream that's alive and well.”

Fleury said he will spend the next few months thinking about his grandparents, who were born in the 1800s, and how proud they would have been.

“They're going to say, 'We've come a long way from when we had to overcome resistance, get our rights, and fight to get to where we are,'” he said. “And I know … one day when I go back to where they are, we're going to have a party. We're going to have a ceremony. And they're going to say, 'You listened so well, and you left something for your grandchildren, just like we did for you.'”

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Over the next few months, MN-S representatives will be visiting Métis communities across the province to share the draft self-governance agreement and speak to residents.

Currently, MN-S has jurisdiction over citizenship, elections and core governance under a series of agreements with the federal government, but a treaty would ensure these agreements remain in place in perpetuity, even if there is a change of government, and ensure stable funding for core areas of jurisdiction.

For Fleury, the autonomy pact is more than just words on paper or a legal agreement between countries.

“This is a people,” he said. “This is a nation. A people with a language and a culture. With a flag, with stories, songs, rituals, legends, myths, everything.”

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