Summit on Indigenous identity fraud kicks off in Winnipeg

One of the topics up for discussion is Bill C-53, a federal piece of legislation that seeks to formally recognize Métis governments in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. 

A two-day summit that kicked off in Winnipeg Tuesday will hear from Indigenous leaders across the country about how they’re reacting and can respond to what they call Indigenous identity fraud.

Co-hosted by the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Chiefs of Ontario, the summit also includes Inuit and Innu leaders who have raised concerns about the issue in their respective jurisdictions.

One of the topics up for discussion is Bill C-53, a federal piece of legislation that seeks to formally recognize Métis governments in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

The bill is hotly contested by the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Chiefs of Ontario, who say the inclusion of the Métis Nation of Ontario threatens their rights and question the validity of the organization.

Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod, who is a vocal opponent of the legislation and the organization, spoke at the summit about growing up in his community in the 1960s and ’70s, when elders were wary of sharing culture with younger generations for fear of repercussions from the federal government.

“I struggled for years to reclaim that (knowledge),” McLeod said, wearing a shirt that said “Say No To Bill C-53.”

But today, he said, there’s a different crisis.

“We’re struggling with people who are trying to be us,” he said. “We’ve been struggling for over 400 years now to maintain our identity, and this is just another branch of that battle.”