Grand Council Treaty #3 Rejects Metis Nation of Ontario’s Claims to Treaty #3
Grand Council Treaty #3 is once again rejecting the very notion of the Metis Nation of Ontario’s fraudulent claims to being a signatory of Treaty #3 in any way, shape, or form.
The Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 maintains that its previously stated position on this matter has not, and will not change. The self-identified group forming the corporation known as the Metis Nation of Ontario has no right or claim to any part of the sacred treaty relationship embodied within Treaty #3. We maintain that we are a nation and know who we are and who we are not.
The whole of the Anishinaabe Nation stands behind Couchiching First Nation and all those Anishinaabe citizens who are descendants of those described within the Halfbreed Adhesion to Treaty #3. This case of ongoing identity theft is harmful to every member of our nation and makes a mockery of our shared identity. As such, we view this ongoing assault by the Metis Nation of Ontario on our Anishinaabe identity and on history itself as an existential threat to our nation and to our treaty relationship.
We express our grave disappointment in the Government of Canada for providing the Metis Nation of Ontario with access to the Crown copy of the Treaty #3 document and the Halfbreed Adhesion to display as misappropriated evidence of their identity. The Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 understands its treaty relationship to be sacred, and to not even be engaged on who has access to and rights to hold the document is an insult to the Treaty itself.
Grand Council Treaty #3 made it explicitly clear to Library and Archives Canada during discussions leading up to the 150th Anniversary celebrations that it would never accept the Metis Nation of Ontario being granted access to the Treaty documents under any circumstances. To proceed to hand treaty documents over to the Metis Nation of Ontario while disregarding Grand Council’s concerns is reprehensible.
Grand Council Treaty #3 reiterates the call for both levels of government to revoke the recognition of the Metis Nation of Ontario as an indigenous nation. Continued recognition of the Metis Nation of Ontario is a threat to the treaty relationship and is causing serious harm to indigenous nations not only within Ontario but also across Canada.
The Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 expects more from its treaty partners. We will be demanding to meet with our treaty partners to address this breach of the treaty relationship and ensure our sacred items and documents are provided the respect they deserve in the future.
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For more information please contact: Daniel Morriseau, Political Advisor – daniel.morriseau@treaty3.ca.