Métis National Council

Métis National Council

Abbreviation	MNC
Formation	1983
Type	Representative of the Northwest Métis people within Canada.
Legal status	active
Purpose	advocate and public voice, educator and network
Headquarters	Canada
Region served	Canada
Official language	English, French
President	Clément Chartier
Website	www.metisnation.ca

The Métis National Council (French: Ralliement national des Métis) is the representative body of the Métis people of northwestern Canada. The MNC represents the Métis Nation both nationally and internationally, receiving direction from the elected leadership of the Métis Nation’s provincial-level governments. The goal of the MNC is to "secure a healthy space for the Métis Nation’s on-going existence within the Canadian federation."

History

The National Council was formed in 1983 to support the recognition of the Métis as a distinct ethnicity who identify separately from other aboriginal groups, share Métis Nation ancestry (e.g. the Northwest and Red River, Manitoba settlements) and form recognized communities. This Council was formed to advocate at the federal level in Canada, which became particularly important with Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. It is a recognized voice of the Métis people in five Canadian provinces to the Government of Canada, and represents these Métis people on the international stage. The National Council is governed by a Board of Governors made up of the presidents of the provincial Métis organizations and the national president. A former national president of the Council is Yvon Dumont, who went on to become the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. The current president of the Métis National Council is Clément Chartier.

The MNC is composed of five provincial Métis organizations. They are:

• Métis Nation British Columbia
• Métis Nation of Alberta
• Métis Nation - Saskatchewan
• Manitoba Métis Federation
• Métis Nation of Ontario.

Within each provincial organization are regional councils.

Presidents

• Yvon Dumont (1988–1993)
• Gerald Morin (1993–2003)
• Audrey Poitras (January 12, 2003 interim President and National spokesperson),
• Clément Chartier (2003–Present)

References

• Barkwell, Lawrence J., Leah Dorion, and Audreen Hourie. Metis legacy Michif culture, heritage, and folkways. Métis legacy series, v. 2. Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2006. ISBN 0-920915-80-9
• Barkwell, Lawrence J., Leah Dorion and Darren Prefontaine. "Metis Legacy: A Historiography and Annotated Bibliography". Winnipeg: Pemmican Publications Inc. and Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2001. ISBN 1-894717-03-1

External links

• Métis National Council website