Ottawa, ON, Nov. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Métis National Council (MNC) expresses its strong support for the efforts of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) to draw attention to the fraudulent claims of the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) to Inuit identity, and echo ITK’s calls on the Government of Canada, academic and other institutions to end any and all support for fraudulent non-Indigenous groups claiming to represent the interests of First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
As stated by ITK in their Open Letter from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to Alert Canadians to False Claims to Inuit Identity, prior to its claims to Inuit identity, the NCC called itself the Labrador Métis Nation. During the period when this non-Indigenous group called themselves Métis, the Métis National Council did not recognize the Labrador Métis Nation and did not include them in our governance.
“The MNC is aligned with ITK in its calls on the Federal and other governments to show leadership to prevent the erosion of Indigenous rights by continuing to pander to and support fraudulent organizations such as the NunatuKavut Community Council,” states President Caron.
Fraudulent claims of Indigenous identity and culture as a means to secure financial resources and rights, including the rise of so-called ‘Eastern Métis’, has caused considerable harm to First Nations, Métis and Inuit. The Métis National Council takes these false claims of Indigenous identity very seriously.
The MNC and our Governing Members will continue to take action to protect the Métis Nation from false claims of Indigenous identity and to protect the territorial integrity of the historic Métis Nation. Ongoing efforts to do so include initiatives to ensure that the Canadian, Provincial and Territorial Governments, as well as academic and other institutions, work directly with recognized Métis Governments to develop formal criteria and eligibility policies that will prevent non-Métis from exploiting opportunities and resources reserved for Métis people.
“All of the Métis Governments that comprise the MNC maintain objectively verifiable Métis registries that use the definition of a Métis Citizen adopted by the MNC in 2002,” stated President Caron, “governments of all kinds, as well as academic or other institutions, can and must work in partnership with Métis Governments to prevent ongoing Indigenous identity fraud.”
-30-
Since 1983, the Métis National Council has been the national and international voice of the Métis Nation within Canada. Through the Canada-Métis Nation Accord, the MNC advocates on behalf of its Governing Members—the democratically elected Métis Governments of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia—to advance Métis rights and interests within their respective jurisdictions, including the implementation of the Métis Nation’s inherent right to self-determination and self-government. The MNC is committed to accountability and transparency within its operations, and to its relationships with MNC Governing Members. Cassidy Caron is the President of the Métis National Council.
