Pros And Cons Of Métis

Pros

The outcome of the Accords was a legislative framework detailing matters relating to land, membership, financial accounting, and resource development. The Métis got to hammer out documents setting out the structure and powers of the settlement governments.

A Métis Settlements Appeal Tribunal was also established, and they were given the right to create judgements relating to land usage, the membership of the Métis settlements, surface rights relating to the land base, and the jurisdiction over many other matters. It is a quasi-judicial body that is funded by Alberta Aboriginal Relations. The Minister and the General Council each appoint a vice-chair and two members, with the chair being appointed by the Minister from a shortlist of nominees

One big issue the Albert Settlement Métis have to face is the identification of who is and who is not Métis. In Cunningham, the Supreme Court decided that the law in the Métis Settlement Act revoking Métis membership if the member obtained status under the Indian Act was valid. This meant that the Supreme Court had ruled that no Métis could be Indian, and vice versa. This dichotomy is dangerous, and only seeks to further muddy the waters. “Setting a hard line between Indian and Métis creates an artificial distinction that, for many, would force people to choose an identity even when one could potentially have one Indian and one Métis parent, and have biological, cultural and political allegiance to both.” This issue arose because Métis people were involved in negotiating the Métis Settlement Act, and even they themselves do not have an easy, go-to definition of who is Métis. If this model were to be expanded for the creation of a national Métis government, this issue would have to be addressed before such issues confuse everyone even more. It may be the idealist in mine, but agreeing to the terms set out in Alberta’s Métis Settlement Act just to gain the practical benefits seems like the wrong move to

I believe before the Alberta Settlements model can be adopted at large, there must be long discussions about each of these topics. The Métis leaders would have to figure out what would constitute good governance and how to guide themselves toward the future. Other changes include “crafting a new approach to housing, one which puts the emphasis on individual as opposed to public ownership” and voluntary certification for financial management and related governance functions.

The Métis also have to consider the fact that Alberta houses many natural resources and the provincial government is naturally richer. If this model was adopted and Métis were given land bases, there is no guarantee the provincial governments would have the funding to support economic endeavours by the Métis groups, and if the land did not contain tar sands, the Métis might find it hard to develop the land