“The Panel finds that these communities meet the parameters of the National Definition of the Métis Nation… and are part of the Métis Nation Homeland.” – MNC Expert Panel Report
April 3, 2025
Ottawa, Ontario — The Métis National Council (“MNC”) Expert Panel’s 260-page Final Report reaffirms that the seven historic Métis communities in northern Ontario are and have always been part of the larger Métis Nation, with deep and enduring ties across the Métis Homeland.
“The Expert Panel’s Final Report reflects the most comprehensive, transparent, and objective study ever conducted on Métis Nation communities in what is now Ontario,” said Margaret Froh, President of the Métis Nation of Ontario (“MNO”). “It is a powerful and definitive answer to those who have questioned the MNO’s place within the Métis Nation and denied the connections between those communities and others throughout the Métis Homeland.”
The Expert Panel was an act of Métis self-determination, created in 2021 by a unanimous MNC General Assembly resolution which was, at the time, comprised of Governing Members: Métis Nation British Columbia, Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation–Saskatchewan, and Métis Nation of Ontario.
During its year-long investigation, the Expert Panel reviewed over 50,000 pages of historical and contemporary evidence, heard from over 160 Métis Nation citizens and leaders, and conducted field visits to each of the Métis communities in northern Ontario.
The Final Report unambiguously confirms generations of shared culture, kinship, and political alliances between Métis Nation communities in Ontario and those further west, from the 1816 Victory of the Frog Plain to the 2017 Canada–Métis Nation Accord. It also affirms that the MNO has upheld the 2002 National Definition within Ontario.
The Expert Panel criticized Manitoba Métis Federation leadership and others for breaking Métis Law by attempting to erase parts of the Métis Nation’s shared history by spreading politically motivated misinformation through commissioned reports. The Expert Panel also questioned “the credibility of research reports when the author(s) have never been to the community, nor met with contemporary members. This does not adhere to traditional Métis values.”
The Expert Panel’s Final Report and comprehensive evidence-based findings bring a conclusive end to years of scrutiny and questions surrounding the seven historic rights-bearing Métis communities in northern Ontario. Their enduring relationships within the broader Métis Nation are abundantly clear. Read the full MNC Expert Panel Final Report here.
“This report is a moment of pride for Métis Nation communities in Ontario,” added Mitch Case, MNO Provincial Secretary for Métis Rights, Intergovernmental Relations and Communications. “As one of the most researched Indigenous governments in Canada, the report yet again validates our stories and reaffirms our rightful place in Métis Nation history.”
With the MNC Expert Panel’s independent evidence-gathering mandate now complete, we encourage Métis citizens to read the Expert Panel’s Final Report and to visit Ontario Métis Facts, to learn more about the Métis communities in Ontario, and to share its posts on Facebook.
Our stories are who we are. Learn them, share them, and be proud of them!
For more information, media may contact:
media@metisnation.org
ABOUT THE MNO
The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) is the democratically elected—federally and provincially recognized—government of Métis citizens and communities in Ontario, including the Métis community in and around Sault Ste. Marie that was recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada in R v. Powley.