Opinion: Canada’s ‘nation-to-nation’ treaty with Mantioba Métis makes no sense – Financial Post
Feb 13, 2025
Métis people live all across the country and are fully assimilated Canadian citizens. Ottawa should stop treating them like a nation
What is a nation? According to Canadian philosopher Will Kymlicka, it is a “historical community, more or less institutionally complete, occupying a given territory or homeland sharing a distinct language and culture.” Something a nation is not: a corporation. So why did Ottawa sign a “nation-to-nation” treaty with a corporation purporting to represent a landless, fully assimilated, colonial-era people?
Late last year, the federal government put its name to the Red River Métis Treaty, committing itself to a “nation-to-nation, government-to-government relationship” with the Red River Métis of Manitoba. The treaty must still be ratified by Parliament.
