Anishinabek Nation Backs National Chief’s Call for Identity Discussions

Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige has backed Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak’s call for discussions about Indigenous identity, rights and accountability, in a statement challenging the Métis Nation of Ontario’s claims and harvesting practices.

The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), which condemned the National Chief’s remarks on Oct. 27, says Métis are a distinct Indigenous people with constitutionally protected rights. Its statement says those protections do not depend on the approval of other Indigenous leaders.

What the Anishinabek Nation Said

The statement signed by Debassige says governments have accepted MNO claims and entered agreements affecting Anishinabek territories and resources without adequate permission or consultation. It says those agreements fail to recognize the Anishinabek–Crown treaty relationship, rights and authority.

It raises concerns about the use of Métis harvesting cards and their effects on fish and wildlife, and calls for “transparent, evidence-based scrutiny.”

The statement also says the Supreme Court of Canada’s R. v. Powley decision did not establish that every person or community claiming to be Métis in Ontario holds Indigenous rights through MNO membership, or that membership automatically confers rights throughout Anishinabek territories or Ontario.

What the Métis Nation of Ontario Said

In its Oct. 27 response to Woodhouse Nepinak, the MNO said her remarks diminished Métis identity and rights. It described Métis history as rooted in the historic North-West, including Northern Ontario and the Upper Great Lakes, and pointed to past cooperation with First Nations.

“The recognition and protection of one people’s rights does not diminish those of another,” the MNO wrote.

That statement responded to the National Chief’s remarks, rather than to the Anishinabek Nation statement.

In a May 2024 statement addressing challenges to the communities it represents, the MNO said: “Historic rights-bearing Métis communities unquestionably exist in Ontario.”

In an earlier statement, issued in June 2023, MNO President Margaret Froh said: “The MNO’s door will always be open for respectful dialogue with Ontario First Nations.”

The Longer Dispute

Ontario and the MNO jointly identified six historic Métis communities in 2017, in addition to the Sault Ste. Marie community recognized in Powley. Ontario’s announcement said that identifying historic communities did not, by itself, determine who holds Métis rights or define harvesting areas.

First Nations organizations have disputed that recognition and the proposed federal recognition of MNO self-government. In its 2023 parliamentary submission on Bill C-53, Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin challenged the historical research and raised concerns about treaty rights and consultation. The Chiefs of Ontario also opposed the bill.

IND previously reported the National Chief’s Oct. 26 remarks and the responses from five Métis governments.