Independent research confirms Métis history

The Métis Nation of Ontario has released a historic report on the Métis in the Mattawa/Nipissing region. The report was prepared by two independent research companies: StoneCircle Consulting and Know History and is a result of a tripartite research initiative financially supported by the Ontario government, the federal government and the MNO. After an extensive review of both English and French historic records about the region, the researchers concluded that a distinct, inter-related Métis population emerged in the Mattawa/Nipissing study region in the early 1800s and that this historic Métis community meets the legal test set out by the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Powley (2003). This research fulfills a shared commitment of the MNO and the province flowing from the 2004 MNO-Ontario Harvesting Agreement with respect to pursuing joint research on the MNO’s identified traditional territories (as set out in the MNO Harvesting Policy). This harvesting agreement, which remains in place today, recognizes the MNO Harvesting Policy and MNO Harvesters Card system in those traditional territories.