Nationtalk: (July 4, 2023 – Toronto, ON) The Chiefs of Ontario remain united in support of First Nations in the Ontario region and remain united in our efforts to protect First Nations rights from Bill C-53, a proposed federal law that would recognize alleged “communities” represented by the Métis Nation of Ontario (“MNO”) as holding section 35 rights under the Constitution without a credible factual or legal basis.

Canada has rushed forward an Agreement and accompanying legislation without legitimate justification. At every turn, Canada has attempted to prevent rights-holders and the public from scrutinizing the legitimacy of the MNO’s communities’ false claims.

“MNO continues to build its case based on misrepresentations, outright falsehoods, and sweeping unsupportable statements,” said Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare. “The historical ’communities’ that MNO claims to represent have never factually existed.”

“MNO is attempting to rewrite history by appropriating First Nations ancestors and conflating the existence of individuals with mixed ancestry with the existence of stable, culturally and politically distinct nations. The truth is that First Nations in the Ontario region cannot have ever recognized the communities listed in Bill C-53 as legitimate Métis rights-holders – because those so-called communities never existed. We have long voiced concerns about the MNO’s practices.”

The argument from the MNO is reliant on a political protocol signed in 2004 between the Chiefs of Ontario (“COO”) and the MNO, which was not implemented and has been terminated for over 12 years.

The 2004 protocol called for the establishment of regular meetings and the development of “common understandings and/or strategies on identified issues of mutual concern or priority.” These proposed regular meetings never took place, and a mutual agreement was never achieved between the MNO and COO regarding issues of mutual concern and priority. In fact, in 2010, COO identified that the MNO was using the protocol in ways that were not intended nor envisioned when signed. Specifically, the MNO was asserting alleged “Métis” rights that conflicted with First Nations’ Inherent, Treaty, and Aboriginal rights. As a result, COO terminated the protocol with the MNO on January 1, 2011.

The MNO has also mischaracterized a pipe ceremony that occurred at the 2005 Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Assembly, while also raising the red herring of legislation passed by the Anishinabek Nation last year. Again, these are mischaracterizations.

“First Nations have been consistent, and do not enable revisionist history, nor lateral violence. As the First Peoples of these lands, we have the inherent, Aboriginal, and Treaty rights to protect ourselves against organizations that have manipulated census records to support fraudulent registries, which the Government of Canada is now attempting to legitimize through its newest wave of colonialism.

Our Nations have always been open to discussions with many groups, especially with newcomers who we don’t know. Unfortunately, we now understand all too well MNO’s objectives and have learned who they are.

MNO’s attempts to distort recent history are consistent with their attempts to create historical communities that never existed. First Nations in Ontario would have known if there were legitimate Métis communities in our territories and we would have known the people in those communities.

As we have said time and time again, First Nations in the Ontario region respect legitimate rights-holders and we have been consistent in our position that we do not reject all Métis or Métis rights. Our concern is with the MNO as an organization and the communities it represents, as they did not exist historically in our territories and therefore, cannot be section 35 rights-holders. Section 35 is not a protection for a broad racial category of anyone with Indigenous ancestry that Canada can give out on a whim – it protects the collective rights of pre-existing Nations – First Nation, Inuit, and Métis.

Bill C-53 is a form of modern colonization – it is not a step toward true reconciliation. Canada is not the arbiter of rights and titles in our territories and does not have the right to create new section 35 rights-holding entities with “jurisdiction” in our territories without consulting us. Canada has moved forward on this without doing its homework.

We have called on Canada and the MNO a number of times to respond to the evidence that has been presented, and they have chosen to not address it. Ignoring our claims and refusing to look at the evidence only leads us to further uncertainty and questioning of Canada’s and the MNO’s true intentions.”

Overall, if passed, Bill C-53 will grant rights to illegitimate groups in First Nations’ territories and undermine their Inherent, Treaty, and Aboriginal rights. The Chiefs of Ontario remain committed to protecting First Nations rights and demand that the basis for Bill C-53 is scrutinized, with the full involvement of First Nations rights-holders.

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The Chiefs of Ontario support all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction and their chosen expression of nationhood. Follow Chiefs of Ontario on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @ChiefsOfOntario.

Media Contact:

Christopher Hoyos
Director of Policy and Communications
Policy and Communications Sector
Chiefs of Ontario
Telephone: (416) 579 4998
Email: Chris.Hoyos@coo.org