OTTAWA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian federal government will sign its first-ever modern treaty with a Métis government, CBC News reported Friday.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree will be in Winnipeg, the capital city of Manitoba, on Saturday to finalize the agreement which formally recognizes the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) as the government of the Red River Métis, the report said.
According to the report, the Red River Métis actually negotiated a treaty with Canada back in 1870, the Manitoba Act, which led to Manitoba joining Confederation. It was supposed to provide Métis with land and economic opportunities, but the federal government didn't follow through on those commitments.
The MMF began discussions with Ottawa on the agreement in 2021. An estimated 4,000 MMF delegates unanimously approved the treaty in a June 2023 vote.
The agreement doesn't come with a list of benefits for the Red River Métis, but opens the door to future agreements with the federal government on fishing and harvesting rights, education, child welfare, land claims and health coverage, the report said.
The Métis are the only distinct Indigenous people excluded from the federal health benefits provided to Inuit and First Nations, CBC news reported. ■