Mtis self-governance bill in limbo [Video]

While Métis governments across the country work towards self-governance agreements with Ottawa, a bill that would put those agreements into place remains in limbo.

Introduced in the House of Commons in 2023, Bill C-53 would grant self-determination rights, including Métis citizenship, elections, government structures and child and family services to Métis governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan.

But those three Métis governments are no longer on the same page about the bill, and the odds of it passing appear to be getting slimmer.

“It’s dead as far as I’m concerned,” said Métis Nation–Saskatchewan president Glen McCallum in an interview.

Since it was introduced, the bill has been criticized by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) for lack of consultation with First Nations as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The bill is currently idling in the report stage and has not moved since February.

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