Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada: Métis

Created in partnership with the Métis Nation, the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and Indspire.

It is only in the last several decades that mainstream narratives have begun to include a less biased and more accurate reflection of the Métis Nation. We were sometimes referred to as “Canada’s forgotten people,” a fairly accurate term when you acknowledge that only after arduous political battles have the Métis finally been included in the Constitution Act, 1982, and further recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada in [four landmark] decisions.

[C]enturies have passed since the birth of the Métis Nation in the 1700s, [a nation which has played] a significant role in Canada’s development, utilizing our knowledge and skills to navigate both the land and the trade and commerce that was taking place across the northwest. We stood up for our rights to be self-determining and to own land. We were significantly marginalized for seeking those rights.

The remarkable resiliency of the Métis Nation is a testament to the strength and determination of our ancestors. We honour their strength with the pride and tenacity with which we hold on to our culture, our values and our rights as a founding people of Canada. Here, more of our story is told. -- from the introduction by Clément (Clem) Chartier, president of the Métis Nation