Métis Nation of Ontario's future at stake as members vote on fate of thousands

The fate of thousands of Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) members with no documented link to a Métis ancestor hangs in the balance as the organization votes this week in a province-wide plebiscite.

The vote comes following years of factionalism and turmoil at the Métis National Council (MNC), driven in part by questions about the integrity of the MNO's membership.

The question before the MNO's 27,000 or so members is this: Should 5,400 of those members whose files lack hard evidence of a Métis connection be removed from the registry?

Whichever way it goes, the members have the organization's future in their hands as they cast their ballots, said MNO President Margaret Froh.

"This is about Métis self-determination. We need clarity," Froh said.

"One of the very first things that any self-governing Indigenous nation does is clearly identify who it represents."

If the members vote yes, the MNO can say it represents members with verifiable ties to communities the MNO recognizes as Métis.

In that case, Froh would have to call a special assembly to seek direction. No one would lose membership immediately, but the assembly would face the sensitive question of what to do with — and potentially how to dump — the rejected members.

But if they vote no, Froh has another problem on her hands: How can the MNO, as a Métis association, knowingly represent people whose identity it can't vouch for? 

"That's something we will have to sort out," Froh said.

 "It's an issue that will have to be resolved if we're going to move forward in advancing our rights assertions."

Debates about Métis identity turned Ontario into a battleground in recent years, with both First Nations and other Métis groups questioning the MNO's registry.

The Métis are a distinct Indigenous people that emerged through the fusion of First Nations and European cultures in the west of what is now Canada. But groups from eastern regions like Quebec and the Maritimes continue to emerge, laying so-far unsuccessful claims to Métis rights.

A 2021 report commissioned by the MNO showed the majority of its members trace their ancestry to communities whose legitimacy the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), representing the Red River Métis, disputes.