{"history":[],"article":{"id":"a419194e-3c62-40f3-846a-ce6056cd42a3","title":"Métis Nation—Saskatchewan","slug":"m-tis-nation-saskatchewan","content":":::summary\n**Date Established:** December 3, 1993 \n**Polity:** Métis Nation—Saskatchewan \n**Country:** [Canada](https://bliptext.com/articles/canada) \n**Address:** [Saskatoon, Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatoon-saskatchewan) \n**Leader Title:** President \n**URL:** https://metisnationsk.com/ \n:::\n\n# \n**[Métis](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-people-canada) Nation—[Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatchewan)** (**MN-S** or **MNS**) is a federally-recognized government that represents [Métis](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-people-canada) people in the province of [Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatchewan), [Canada](https://bliptext.com/articles/canada).\nIt is affiliated with the [Métis National Council](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-national-council).\nGlen McCallum was elected as president in 2017 and reelected in 2021.\nThe government is led by an elected executive council called the Provincial Métis Council.\nThe government has divided the province into 12 regions, and members within each region vote for their regional representative to the Provincial Métis Council.\nWithin the 12 regions exist Métis locals, which are smaller governmental structures, each with an elected president.\nAll of the above meet biannually at the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly with representatives from the government's youth and women departments to discuss matters affecting the Métis Nation in the province.\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly serves as the governing authority of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nPast presidents of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan include [Lorna Docken](https://bliptext.com/articles/lorna-docken), [Clément Chartier](https://bliptext.com/articles/cl-ment-chartier), Jim \"Jimmy D\" Durocher, and Robert Doucette.\nThe government was originally named Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, but this was changed to Métis Nation—Saskatchewan at the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly on November 18, 2000.\n\n# History\n\n## Early Métis governments in Saskatchewan\nThe earliest Métis governments in what is now Saskatchewan began prior to the 1870 [Red River Resistance](https://bliptext.com/articles/red-river-rebellion), but grew rapidly after that event.\n[Southbranch Settlement](https://bliptext.com/articles/southbranch-settlement) communities such as [Duck Lake](https://bliptext.com/articles/duck-lake-saskatchewan), [St. Laurent](https://bliptext.com/articles/st-laurent-de-grandin-saskatchewan), [St. Louis](https://bliptext.com/articles/st-louis-saskatchewan), [Fish Creek](https://bliptext.com/articles/fish-creek-saskatchewan), and [Batoche](https://bliptext.com/articles/batoche-saskatchewan) grew along the [South Saskatchewan River](https://bliptext.com/articles/south-saskatchewan-river), growing from the original La Petite Ville mission.\nEach community had between 40 and 60 families, representing a considerable population.\nThe communities of the Southbranch Settlement gathered on December 10, 1872 outside of the church at St. Laurent to form the Council of St. Laurent with [Gabriel Dumont](https://bliptext.com/articles/gabriel-dumont-m-tis-leader) as their president.\nThis council served as the administrative, judicial, and military body for these settlements.\nThis council would adopt a constitution and codify laws that are known as the [Laws of St. Laurent](https://bliptext.com/articles/undefined), using the [Laws of the Buffalo Hunt](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-buffalo-hunt) as their foundation.\nThis council set the precedent for all future Métis political activities in Saskatchewan.\n\n## Métis provisional government\nThe Métis of the Southbranch Settlement, concerned with the arrival of settlers and the need to secure title to their lands, petitioned the Government of Canada for title to the land that they had been living on for years.\nThey grew frustrated with the stalling and general lack of response from the government, so the Council of St. Laurent decided to ask [Louis Riel](https://bliptext.com/articles/louis-riel) to return from exile in [Montana](https://bliptext.com/articles/montana) to lead the Métis again.\nRiel would establish the [Provisional Government of Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/provisional-government-of-saskatchewan) led by the [Exovedate](https://bliptext.com/articles/exovedate) council established in [Batoche](https://bliptext.com/articles/batoche-saskatchewan) on March 19, 1885, that started the [North-West Resistance](https://bliptext.com/articles/north-west-rebellion).\nThe Government of Canada responded with a military force, culminating at the [Battle of Batoche](https://bliptext.com/articles/battle-of-batoche) where the Métis government was defeated.\n\n## Early political movements\nThe North-West Resistance resulted in the displacement of many Métis, leading to the loss of community.\nTrying to make the best of new opportunities, the Métis looked to farming and other ways to earn a living, but the [Dust Bowl](https://bliptext.com/articles/dust-bowl) and [Great Depression](https://bliptext.com/articles/great-depression) of the 1930s left many Métis destitute.\nMétis community councils began to form around this time, organizing themselves along the model of labour unions and using the name \"locals\" for their representative structure.\nThis led to growing political awareness and social activism among Métis, demanding recognition of Métis rights.\nRecognizing the need to establish a formal governance structure for their voice to be heard, Métis in Saskatchewan began to organize.\nThe first Métis provincial political organization established after the province of [Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatchewan) was established was in 1935 under Joe Ross, and was called Half-breeds of [Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatchewan).\nThe organization was created to help with issues that Métis people were dealing with as a result of the Great Depression.\nThe organization drafted their first constitution in 1937 and was renamed the Saskatchewan Métis Society.\nIn 1943, the Saskatchewan Métis Association was formed to represent the Métis in the Northern part of Saskatchewan.\nThis organization echoed, and often rivalled the efforts in the South by the Saskatchewan Métis Society.\nDespite strong growth in these organizations in the early years, internal divisions and turmoil as well as the start of the [Second World War](https://bliptext.com/articles/world-war-ii) lead to the dissolution of these early Métis political organizations during the years of the War.\nThe Métis political movement would be restarted in the 1960s.\nIn 1964, the Métis Association of Saskatchewan was established to focus on issues for Northern Métis people, and in 1965, the Métis Society of Saskatchewan was established to focus on issues for Southern Métis people.\nRecognizing the benefits of working together, the Métis Association of Saskatchewan and the Métis Society of Saskatchewan amalgamated in 1967 under the banner of Métis Society of Saskatchewan.\nThe organization was renamed to the Association of Métis and Non-Status Indians of Saskatchewan (AMNSIS) in 1975 under the leadership of [Jim Sinclair](https://bliptext.com/articles/jim-sinclair-politician) and included [Non-status Indians](https://bliptext.com/articles/non-status-indian) within the membership of the organization, the Métis Society of Saskatchewan in 1988 following a referendum that decided that the organization would be Métis specific, the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan in 1993 in declaring a Métis government, and finally the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan in 2000.\nPast leaders of these organizations include Joe LaRocque, Jim Brady, Malcolm Norris, Howard Adams, Jim Sinclair, Clifford LaRocque, Jimmy Durocher, Clément Chartier, Gerald Morin, and Robert Doucette.\n\n# Métis government\n\n## Contemporary political structures\nThe Métis of Saskatchewan met to establish the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan (later renamed to Métis Nation—Saskatchewan in 2000), adopt a constitution in 1993, and declare the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan to be a self-governing body for the Métis of Saskatchewan.\nThe first sitting of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly was in 1994.\n\n## Self-government\nRecognizing their distinct identity as Métis, the pursuit of Métis rights and self-determination, and seeking to be a third order of government, the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan was established as the government of the Métis of Saskatchewan.\nMN—S has been operating through legislation for non-profit organizations.\nThough the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan has pushed the limits of what is possible within the legislation to move forward in shaping their governance and moving forward their political aspirations, the legislation has limited what MN—S is able to accomplish in terms of being self-governing and independent from the authority of the provincial and federal governments.\nThe Métis of Canada have been fighting for recognition of their [Indigenous rights](https://bliptext.com/articles/indigenous-rights) and their inherent right to practice them.\nUntil, neither the Government of Saskatchewan nor Government of Canada wanted to hold responsibility of negotiating with the Métis.\nAfter the Daniels v Canada decision, the Government of Canada and the Métis Nation (represented by the Métis National Council and give members of its board of governors) signed the Canada–Métis Nation Accord on April 13, 2017 to start to repair the relationship between [The Crown](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-crown) and the Métis Nation, to address the legacy of the wrongs committed against Métis people and the Métis Nation, to move forward on recognition of Métis rights, and to address the needs and issues facing Métis people.\nOn July 20, 2018, Métis Nation—Saskatchewan and Canada signed the Framework Agreement for Advancing Reconciliation, which established the mechanism by which the negotiations on the shared objectives would be conducted.\nAs negotiations have progressed between Canada and the Métis Nation, Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, along with Métis Nation of Ontario and Métis Nation of Alberta, signed the Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreement with Canada on June 27, 2019.\nMN—S previously supported Bill C-53, a federal bill tabled in 2023 that would establish a framework to \"advance the recognition of the right to self-determination\" by MN–S, the [Manitoba Métis Federation](https://bliptext.com/articles/manitoba-m-tis-federation), and [Métis Nation of Ontario](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-nation-of-ontario).\nIn April 2024, MN—S withdrew its support, stating that \"the one-size-fits-all approach proposed by the federal government was fundamentally flawed\".\nThe bill has also faced criticism over its recognition of the Métis Nation of Ontario, which has been accused of recognizing communities that do not have a sufficient population of Métis citizens as defined by the MNC's definition.\nIn May 2024, MN—S announced its own proposed self-determination treaty, Kishchi Mashinaayikun Ooshchi Michif (\"The sacred document of the Métis\"), which it plans to present to the federal government in 2025 after ratification by its citizens.\n\n## The Métis Act\nIn 2002, the [Government of Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/government-of-saskatchewan) passed The Métis Act.\nThe Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan establishes the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan as a self-governing entity, and distinguishes the difference between the political existence as a Métis government from the existence as a non-profit corporation that provides programs and services.\nThe Métis Act is the first legislation in Canada to recognize the political aspirations of the Métis.\nIt established a bilateral process that empowers the elected leadership of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan to negotiate as an equal partner with the Government of Saskatchewan on matters of interest to the Métis.\nThis is an unprecedented de facto recognition in Canada of Métis aspirations of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan as a governance institution, though it stops short of recognizing the Nation—Saskatchewan as a government.\n\n# Métis Nation—Saskatchewan governance structure\nTraditional Métis governance practices of participatory governance and community councils are the basis for the governance structures and practices of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\n\n## Locals\nMétis Locals in Saskatchewan are vital community anchors in serving as representatives, advocates, and cultural preservers.\nMétis locals are the basic unit of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, they operate at the community level, and have parallels to constituencies in other forms of government.\nEach Métis local serves as an essential community hub and have a multitude of purposes.\nMétis locals are both a voice of the citizens through their elected representative in the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan government and political processes while also being the means through which some programs and services are provided to the community, including facilitating support for various services like education, healthcare, and housing assistance where available.\nAs the representative voice of the community, Métis locals advocate on behalf of their members about matters of community interest and addressing local issues.\nIn these roles, Métis locals play a pivotal role in preserving and promoting Métis culture through organizing activities and events to transmit Métis culture, values, and language while fostering a sense of identity and community.\nThrough these efforts, Métis locals foster connections within their community among individuals and families by providing a platform for social interactions.\nTo accomplish these goals and advance shared objectives, Métis locals collaborate with educational institutions, organizations, companies, and government bodies to ensure accurate representation, advocacy for Métis rights, and awareness of Métis history and identity.\nEach local has an elected leadership that may include executive, board of directors, and other structures that a local establishes for their own governance that are consistent with the Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nLocals may also incorporate with the appropriate government.\nLocals have the responsibility of preparing communities for self-government, and they may seek the necessary finances and resources for their programs, services, and other objectives that they have established.\nTo be an active local, a local must have a minimum of nine members, and they must hold local leadership elections every one to three years.\nA Métis citizen can belong to only one local at a time, and they must ordinarily reside in the area of the local for a minimum of six months before they are allowed to join a local (exceptions can be made for educational or medical purposes, or where there a local does not exist in a community).\nLocals were originally modelled on the labour movement, and were established as collective representative bodies for their members to assert their rights.\n\n## Urban councils\nThe Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan allows for the establishment of urban councils.\nIn the major cities of Saskatchewan, there are often more than one local, dividing either on geography or on mandate.\nThe urban locals in a given city are allowed to establish an urban council if they choose to help move towards self-government.\n\n## Regions\nThe Métis Nation—Saskatchewan has divided the province of Saskatchewan into 12 regions:\nEach region is governed by a regional council that consists of the local presidents in that region and the area director who serves as the chairperson of the regional council and sits as the regionally elected representative on the Provincial Métis Council.\nThe regional councils have the authority to make appointments to the institutions and affiliates at the regional and provincial level.\nThe regional council is responsible for supporting the locals to assume self-government, including helping to provide the necessary finances and resources for programs and services in accordance with the objectives and duties of the locals and the regional council.\nThe regional council is responsible for providing direction to their area director with respect to the aims, objectives, and aspirations for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan with respect to their respective region.\n# [Map of the 12 regions of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Map///of///the///governance///regions///of///M%C3%A9tis///Nation%E2%80%94Saskatchewan.png]\n\n## Executive\nThere are four executive members of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan:\nThese executive positions are elected province wide, and the terms are four years.\nThe president serves as the chief political spokesperson for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, and is responsible for assigning portfolios, subject to the approval of the Provincial Métis Council and ratification by the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\n\n## Provincial Métis Council\nThe Provincial Métis Council is responsible for ensuring the operations of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan are running smoothly.\nThe members of the Provincial Métis Council also serve as the directors for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Secretariat Inc.\nThe Provincial Métis Council ordinarily consists of 18 members:\nThe Provincial Métis Council forms the cabinet of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan government, and hold portfolios assigned to them by the President of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, subject to approval by the Provincial Métis Council and the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\nEach member of the Provincial Métis Council is responsible for ensuring that the affiliates, departments, programs, and services within their portfolio have the necessary finances and resources to operate effectively.\nThey also sit at the chairperson of the affiliate(s) which are part of their portfolio.\nTerms for the regional representatives are four years.\n\n## Métis Nation Legislative Assembly\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly is the governing authority of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly is composed of the Provincial Métis Council (including the members of the Executive), four representatives of the Métis Women of Saskatchewan (Les Filles de Madeleine), four representatives of the Provincial Métis Youth Council, and all presidents of locals across the province (or the vice president of the local as the alternate if the president is unable to attend).\nQuorum for sittings of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly is 75 members.\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly is to sit at least twice a year, though this has rarely been observed (often due to the lack of sufficient resources to hold the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly).\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly has the power to enact legislation, regulations, rules, and resolutions that are necessary to govern the affairs of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (including approving the budget of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan ) and the conduct of citizens of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nTo oversee the sitting of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly selects a [speaker](https://bliptext.com/articles/speaker-politics) and deputy [speaker](https://bliptext.com/articles/speaker-politics).\nThey are responsible for overseeing the setting of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, including the procedures, rules, and debates, and maintaining the decorum of the sitting.\nThey also have the authority to have the Dumont's Scouts expel members or attendees from the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly if they do not follow the ruling of the speaker or otherwise disrupt the decorum on the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\nThe speaker and deputy speaker serve as the chairperson and co-chairperson for the Annual General Assembly.\nThe speaker and deputy speaker serve for a two-year term, subject to reappointment.\nTo assist in keeping the decorum of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, Dumont's Scouts are appointed by the Provincial Métis Council, and ratified by the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\nThe Dumont's Scouts are generally Métis veterans.\nSitting members of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly are eligible to be appointed to hold portfolios.\nOriginally, this was limited to only members of the Provincial Métis Council, but this was expanded to members of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly to provide more options for appointing people to hold portfolios.\n\n## Les Filles de Madeleine\nLes Filles de Madeleine is the provincial organization in Saskatchewan that is mandated to provide a voice for Métis Nation women.\nThe board of directors for Les Filles de Madeleine has one director elected from each of the 12 regions of the province.\nThe goals of Les Filles de Madeleine\nThe objectives of Les Filles de Madeleine Secretariat Inc. are:\n\n## Provincial Métis Youth Council\nThe Provincial Métis Youth Council provides an opportunity to ensure that the voice of youth is always heard as a part of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan government.\nIntricately incorporating youth within the governance structures of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan helps to ensure that issues that youth are dealing with are not overlooked; it provides opportunities for mentoring and supporting the future leaders of the Métis Nation; and it brings together the different segments of the Métis population to work as a united front.\n\n## Senate\nThe Senate of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan have a mostly ceremonial role.\nThey provide opening and closing prayers at the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, and they provide advice, guidance, and recommendations to the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\nThe Senate operates as a collective unit that represents, serves, and protects the best interests of the Métis people and the Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nThey operate through consensus, and senators are to devote time, thoughts, and study to their work.\nIt was established to honour the central role of elder in traditional Métis communities.\nWhen the Senate had been originally established, they had much more authority over the activities of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nThey served as the judicial arm for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan with the power to resolve disputes that occurred between regions and locals, they formed the Métis Elections Commission to oversee elections and by-elections of Executive and Provincial Métis Council, and they oversaw the operations of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan from the period when the general election was called and to when candidates were elected.\nThe authority of the Senate was removed in 2008.\n\n## General Assembly\nThe General Assembly is the political forum for Métis citizens in Saskatchewan.\nThe General Assembly meets annually, and provides a forum where Métis citizens receive information from their government, review documents and provide guidance to the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, and where they discuss, amend, and vote on ratification of amendments to the Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\n\n## Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Secretariat Inc.\nThe Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Secretariat Inc. serves as the administrative body for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, through which the policies and programs directed by the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan are administered and carried out.\nThis is because the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan is recognized as the government democratically elected by the Métis citizens of Saskatchewan to advance their Aboriginal rights, including self-government and self-determination, but the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan has to operate through non-profit structures until formally recognized and legislated as a third order of government.\nThe Government of Saskatchewan enacted The Métis Act (Chapter M-14.01 of the Statutes of Saskatchewan, 2001) to promote and strengthen Métis governance of their institutions and communities through partnership between the Government of Canada, Government of Saskatchewan, and Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, and established Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Secretariat Inc. pursuant to The Métis Act.\n\n## Affiliates\nMétis Nation—Saskatchewan has established several affiliates that support the needs of Métis citizens in Saskatchewan.\nThese affiliates include:\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, exercises all voting rights, power, and duties of ownership of the affiliates, in accordance with the recommendations provided by the Provincial Métis Council.\nThe member of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly with the portfolio responsible for the affiliate sits as the chairperson of that affiliate.\nHowever, under non-profit legislation, the affiliates are independent to the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nMétis Nation—Saskatchewan was a founding member of the [Métis National Council](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-national-council) (MNC), a representative body of Métis governments in multiple provinces.\nIn September 2024, MN—S left the Council, primarily due to conflicts with the MNC's continued admittance of the [Métis Nation of Ontario](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-nation-of-ontario).\n\n# Citizenship in the Métis Nation\nIn 2000, Métis Nation—Saskatchewan formally adopted the National Definition of Métis:\n

Métis means a person, who self identifies as Métis, is distinct from other Aboriginal peoples, is of historic Métis Nation Ancestry and is accepted by the Métis Nation.

\"Historic Métis Nation\" means the Aboriginal people then known as Métis or Half-breeds who resided in the Historic Métis Nation Homeland.

\"Historic Métis Nation Homeland\" means the area of west central North America used and occupied as the traditional territory of the Métis or Half-breeds as they were known.

\"Métis Nation\"means the Aboriginal people descended from the Historic Métis Nation which is now composed of all Métis Nation citizens and is one of the \"aboriginal\" peoples of Canada within the meaning of s.35 of the Constitution Act 1982.

\"Distinct from other Aboriginal peoples\" means distinct for culture and nationhood purposes.

\n\nTo ensure that the citizenship review process was in accordance with this definition, the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan ratified the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan Citizenship Act, which outlines the establishment of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Registry, appointment of the Registrar, the process of citizenship registration, and other matters relevant to operation of the Registry.","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-25T21:41:59.122Z","updated_at":"2025-01-25T21:41:59.122Z","search_vector":"'métis':1 'nation':2 'saskatchewan':3","search_content":" \n**Date Established:** December 3, 1993 \n**Polity:** Métis Nation—Saskatchewan \n**Country:** [Canada](https://bliptext.com/articles/canada) \n**Address:** [Saskatoon, Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatoon-saskatchewan) \n**Leader Title:** President \n**URL:** https://metisnationsk.com/ \n \n\n# \n**[Métis](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-people-canada) Nation—[Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatchewan)** (**MN-S** or **MNS**) is a federally-recognized government that represents [Métis](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-people-canada) people in the province of [Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatchewan), [Canada](https://bliptext.com/articles/canada).\nIt is affiliated with the [Métis National Council](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-national-council).\nGlen McCallum was elected as president in 2017 and reelected in 2021.\nThe government is led by an elected executive council called the Provincial Métis Council.\nThe government has divided the province into 12 regions, and members within each region vote for their regional representative to the Provincial Métis Council.\nWithin the 12 regions exist Métis locals, which are smaller governmental structures, each with an elected president.\nAll of the above meet biannually at the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly with representatives from the government's youth and women departments to discuss matters affecting the Métis Nation in the province.\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly serves as the governing authority of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nPast presidents of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan include [Lorna Docken](https://bliptext.com/articles/lorna-docken), [Clément Chartier](https://bliptext.com/articles/cl-ment-chartier), Jim \"Jimmy D\" Durocher, and Robert Doucette.\nThe government was originally named Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, but this was changed to Métis Nation—Saskatchewan at the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly on November 18, 2000.\n\n# History\n\n## Early Métis governments in Saskatchewan\nThe earliest Métis governments in what is now Saskatchewan began prior to the 1870 [Red River Resistance](https://bliptext.com/articles/red-river-rebellion), but grew rapidly after that event.\n[Southbranch Settlement](https://bliptext.com/articles/southbranch-settlement) communities such as [Duck Lake](https://bliptext.com/articles/duck-lake-saskatchewan), [St. Laurent](https://bliptext.com/articles/st-laurent-de-grandin-saskatchewan), [St. Louis](https://bliptext.com/articles/st-louis-saskatchewan), [Fish Creek](https://bliptext.com/articles/fish-creek-saskatchewan), and [Batoche](https://bliptext.com/articles/batoche-saskatchewan) grew along the [South Saskatchewan River](https://bliptext.com/articles/south-saskatchewan-river), growing from the original La Petite Ville mission.\nEach community had between 40 and 60 families, representing a considerable population.\nThe communities of the Southbranch Settlement gathered on December 10, 1872 outside of the church at St. Laurent to form the Council of St. Laurent with [Gabriel Dumont](https://bliptext.com/articles/gabriel-dumont-m-tis-leader) as their president.\nThis council served as the administrative, judicial, and military body for these settlements.\nThis council would adopt a constitution and codify laws that are known as the [Laws of St. Laurent](https://bliptext.com/articles/undefined), using the [Laws of the Buffalo Hunt](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-buffalo-hunt) as their foundation.\nThis council set the precedent for all future Métis political activities in Saskatchewan.\n\n## Métis provisional government\nThe Métis of the Southbranch Settlement, concerned with the arrival of settlers and the need to secure title to their lands, petitioned the Government of Canada for title to the land that they had been living on for years.\nThey grew frustrated with the stalling and general lack of response from the government, so the Council of St. Laurent decided to ask [Louis Riel](https://bliptext.com/articles/louis-riel) to return from exile in [Montana](https://bliptext.com/articles/montana) to lead the Métis again.\nRiel would establish the [Provisional Government of Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/provisional-government-of-saskatchewan) led by the [Exovedate](https://bliptext.com/articles/exovedate) council established in [Batoche](https://bliptext.com/articles/batoche-saskatchewan) on March 19, 1885, that started the [North-West Resistance](https://bliptext.com/articles/north-west-rebellion).\nThe Government of Canada responded with a military force, culminating at the [Battle of Batoche](https://bliptext.com/articles/battle-of-batoche) where the Métis government was defeated.\n\n## Early political movements\nThe North-West Resistance resulted in the displacement of many Métis, leading to the loss of community.\nTrying to make the best of new opportunities, the Métis looked to farming and other ways to earn a living, but the [Dust Bowl](https://bliptext.com/articles/dust-bowl) and [Great Depression](https://bliptext.com/articles/great-depression) of the 1930s left many Métis destitute.\nMétis community councils began to form around this time, organizing themselves along the model of labour unions and using the name \"locals\" for their representative structure.\nThis led to growing political awareness and social activism among Métis, demanding recognition of Métis rights.\nRecognizing the need to establish a formal governance structure for their voice to be heard, Métis in Saskatchewan began to organize.\nThe first Métis provincial political organization established after the province of [Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatchewan) was established was in 1935 under Joe Ross, and was called Half-breeds of [Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/saskatchewan).\nThe organization was created to help with issues that Métis people were dealing with as a result of the Great Depression.\nThe organization drafted their first constitution in 1937 and was renamed the Saskatchewan Métis Society.\nIn 1943, the Saskatchewan Métis Association was formed to represent the Métis in the Northern part of Saskatchewan.\nThis organization echoed, and often rivalled the efforts in the South by the Saskatchewan Métis Society.\nDespite strong growth in these organizations in the early years, internal divisions and turmoil as well as the start of the [Second World War](https://bliptext.com/articles/world-war-ii) lead to the dissolution of these early Métis political organizations during the years of the War.\nThe Métis political movement would be restarted in the 1960s.\nIn 1964, the Métis Association of Saskatchewan was established to focus on issues for Northern Métis people, and in 1965, the Métis Society of Saskatchewan was established to focus on issues for Southern Métis people.\nRecognizing the benefits of working together, the Métis Association of Saskatchewan and the Métis Society of Saskatchewan amalgamated in 1967 under the banner of Métis Society of Saskatchewan.\nThe organization was renamed to the Association of Métis and Non-Status Indians of Saskatchewan (AMNSIS) in 1975 under the leadership of [Jim Sinclair](https://bliptext.com/articles/jim-sinclair-politician) and included [Non-status Indians](https://bliptext.com/articles/non-status-indian) within the membership of the organization, the Métis Society of Saskatchewan in 1988 following a referendum that decided that the organization would be Métis specific, the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan in 1993 in declaring a Métis government, and finally the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan in 2000.\nPast leaders of these organizations include Joe LaRocque, Jim Brady, Malcolm Norris, Howard Adams, Jim Sinclair, Clifford LaRocque, Jimmy Durocher, Clément Chartier, Gerald Morin, and Robert Doucette.\n\n# Métis government\n\n## Contemporary political structures\nThe Métis of Saskatchewan met to establish the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan (later renamed to Métis Nation—Saskatchewan in 2000), adopt a constitution in 1993, and declare the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan to be a self-governing body for the Métis of Saskatchewan.\nThe first sitting of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly was in 1994.\n\n## Self-government\nRecognizing their distinct identity as Métis, the pursuit of Métis rights and self-determination, and seeking to be a third order of government, the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan was established as the government of the Métis of Saskatchewan.\nMN—S has been operating through legislation for non-profit organizations.\nThough the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan has pushed the limits of what is possible within the legislation to move forward in shaping their governance and moving forward their political aspirations, the legislation has limited what MN—S is able to accomplish in terms of being self-governing and independent from the authority of the provincial and federal governments.\nThe Métis of Canada have been fighting for recognition of their [Indigenous rights](https://bliptext.com/articles/indigenous-rights) and their inherent right to practice them.\nUntil, neither the Government of Saskatchewan nor Government of Canada wanted to hold responsibility of negotiating with the Métis.\nAfter the Daniels v Canada decision, the Government of Canada and the Métis Nation (represented by the Métis National Council and give members of its board of governors) signed the Canada–Métis Nation Accord on April 13, 2017 to start to repair the relationship between [The Crown](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-crown) and the Métis Nation, to address the legacy of the wrongs committed against Métis people and the Métis Nation, to move forward on recognition of Métis rights, and to address the needs and issues facing Métis people.\nOn July 20, 2018, Métis Nation—Saskatchewan and Canada signed the Framework Agreement for Advancing Reconciliation, which established the mechanism by which the negotiations on the shared objectives would be conducted.\nAs negotiations have progressed between Canada and the Métis Nation, Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, along with Métis Nation of Ontario and Métis Nation of Alberta, signed the Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreement with Canada on June 27, 2019.\nMN—S previously supported Bill C-53, a federal bill tabled in 2023 that would establish a framework to \"advance the recognition of the right to self-determination\" by MN–S, the [Manitoba Métis Federation](https://bliptext.com/articles/manitoba-m-tis-federation), and [Métis Nation of Ontario](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-nation-of-ontario).\nIn April 2024, MN—S withdrew its support, stating that \"the one-size-fits-all approach proposed by the federal government was fundamentally flawed\".\nThe bill has also faced criticism over its recognition of the Métis Nation of Ontario, which has been accused of recognizing communities that do not have a sufficient population of Métis citizens as defined by the MNC's definition.\nIn May 2024, MN—S announced its own proposed self-determination treaty, Kishchi Mashinaayikun Ooshchi Michif (\"The sacred document of the Métis\"), which it plans to present to the federal government in 2025 after ratification by its citizens.\n\n## The Métis Act\nIn 2002, the [Government of Saskatchewan](https://bliptext.com/articles/government-of-saskatchewan) passed The Métis Act.\nThe Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan establishes the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan as a self-governing entity, and distinguishes the difference between the political existence as a Métis government from the existence as a non-profit corporation that provides programs and services.\nThe Métis Act is the first legislation in Canada to recognize the political aspirations of the Métis.\nIt established a bilateral process that empowers the elected leadership of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan to negotiate as an equal partner with the Government of Saskatchewan on matters of interest to the Métis.\nThis is an unprecedented de facto recognition in Canada of Métis aspirations of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan as a governance institution, though it stops short of recognizing the Nation—Saskatchewan as a government.\n\n# Métis Nation—Saskatchewan governance structure\nTraditional Métis governance practices of participatory governance and community councils are the basis for the governance structures and practices of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\n\n## Locals\nMétis Locals in Saskatchewan are vital community anchors in serving as representatives, advocates, and cultural preservers.\nMétis locals are the basic unit of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, they operate at the community level, and have parallels to constituencies in other forms of government.\nEach Métis local serves as an essential community hub and have a multitude of purposes.\nMétis locals are both a voice of the citizens through their elected representative in the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan government and political processes while also being the means through which some programs and services are provided to the community, including facilitating support for various services like education, healthcare, and housing assistance where available.\nAs the representative voice of the community, Métis locals advocate on behalf of their members about matters of community interest and addressing local issues.\nIn these roles, Métis locals play a pivotal role in preserving and promoting Métis culture through organizing activities and events to transmit Métis culture, values, and language while fostering a sense of identity and community.\nThrough these efforts, Métis locals foster connections within their community among individuals and families by providing a platform for social interactions.\nTo accomplish these goals and advance shared objectives, Métis locals collaborate with educational institutions, organizations, companies, and government bodies to ensure accurate representation, advocacy for Métis rights, and awareness of Métis history and identity.\nEach local has an elected leadership that may include executive, board of directors, and other structures that a local establishes for their own governance that are consistent with the Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nLocals may also incorporate with the appropriate government.\nLocals have the responsibility of preparing communities for self-government, and they may seek the necessary finances and resources for their programs, services, and other objectives that they have established.\nTo be an active local, a local must have a minimum of nine members, and they must hold local leadership elections every one to three years.\nA Métis citizen can belong to only one local at a time, and they must ordinarily reside in the area of the local for a minimum of six months before they are allowed to join a local (exceptions can be made for educational or medical purposes, or where there a local does not exist in a community).\nLocals were originally modelled on the labour movement, and were established as collective representative bodies for their members to assert their rights.\n\n## Urban councils\nThe Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan allows for the establishment of urban councils.\nIn the major cities of Saskatchewan, there are often more than one local, dividing either on geography or on mandate.\nThe urban locals in a given city are allowed to establish an urban council if they choose to help move towards self-government.\n\n## Regions\nThe Métis Nation—Saskatchewan has divided the province of Saskatchewan into 12 regions:\nEach region is governed by a regional council that consists of the local presidents in that region and the area director who serves as the chairperson of the regional council and sits as the regionally elected representative on the Provincial Métis Council.\nThe regional councils have the authority to make appointments to the institutions and affiliates at the regional and provincial level.\nThe regional council is responsible for supporting the locals to assume self-government, including helping to provide the necessary finances and resources for programs and services in accordance with the objectives and duties of the locals and the regional council.\nThe regional council is responsible for providing direction to their area director with respect to the aims, objectives, and aspirations for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan with respect to their respective region.\n# [Map of the 12 regions of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Map///of///the///governance///regions///of///M%C3%A9tis///Nation%E2%80%94Saskatchewan.png]\n\n## Executive\nThere are four executive members of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan:\nThese executive positions are elected province wide, and the terms are four years.\nThe president serves as the chief political spokesperson for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, and is responsible for assigning portfolios, subject to the approval of the Provincial Métis Council and ratification by the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\n\n## Provincial Métis Council\nThe Provincial Métis Council is responsible for ensuring the operations of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan are running smoothly.\nThe members of the Provincial Métis Council also serve as the directors for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Secretariat Inc.\nThe Provincial Métis Council ordinarily consists of 18 members:\nThe Provincial Métis Council forms the cabinet of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan government, and hold portfolios assigned to them by the President of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, subject to approval by the Provincial Métis Council and the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\nEach member of the Provincial Métis Council is responsible for ensuring that the affiliates, departments, programs, and services within their portfolio have the necessary finances and resources to operate effectively.\nThey also sit at the chairperson of the affiliate(s) which are part of their portfolio.\nTerms for the regional representatives are four years.\n\n## Métis Nation Legislative Assembly\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly is the governing authority of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly is composed of the Provincial Métis Council (including the members of the Executive), four representatives of the Métis Women of Saskatchewan (Les Filles de Madeleine), four representatives of the Provincial Métis Youth Council, and all presidents of locals across the province (or the vice president of the local as the alternate if the president is unable to attend).\nQuorum for sittings of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly is 75 members.\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly is to sit at least twice a year, though this has rarely been observed (often due to the lack of sufficient resources to hold the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly).\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly has the power to enact legislation, regulations, rules, and resolutions that are necessary to govern the affairs of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (including approving the budget of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan ) and the conduct of citizens of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nTo oversee the sitting of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly selects a [speaker](https://bliptext.com/articles/speaker-politics) and deputy [speaker](https://bliptext.com/articles/speaker-politics).\nThey are responsible for overseeing the setting of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, including the procedures, rules, and debates, and maintaining the decorum of the sitting.\nThey also have the authority to have the Dumont's Scouts expel members or attendees from the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly if they do not follow the ruling of the speaker or otherwise disrupt the decorum on the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\nThe speaker and deputy speaker serve as the chairperson and co-chairperson for the Annual General Assembly.\nThe speaker and deputy speaker serve for a two-year term, subject to reappointment.\nTo assist in keeping the decorum of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, Dumont's Scouts are appointed by the Provincial Métis Council, and ratified by the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\nThe Dumont's Scouts are generally Métis veterans.\nSitting members of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly are eligible to be appointed to hold portfolios.\nOriginally, this was limited to only members of the Provincial Métis Council, but this was expanded to members of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly to provide more options for appointing people to hold portfolios.\n\n## Les Filles de Madeleine\nLes Filles de Madeleine is the provincial organization in Saskatchewan that is mandated to provide a voice for Métis Nation women.\nThe board of directors for Les Filles de Madeleine has one director elected from each of the 12 regions of the province.\nThe goals of Les Filles de Madeleine\nThe objectives of Les Filles de Madeleine Secretariat Inc. are:\n\n## Provincial Métis Youth Council\nThe Provincial Métis Youth Council provides an opportunity to ensure that the voice of youth is always heard as a part of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan government.\nIntricately incorporating youth within the governance structures of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan helps to ensure that issues that youth are dealing with are not overlooked; it provides opportunities for mentoring and supporting the future leaders of the Métis Nation; and it brings together the different segments of the Métis population to work as a united front.\n\n## Senate\nThe Senate of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan have a mostly ceremonial role.\nThey provide opening and closing prayers at the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, and they provide advice, guidance, and recommendations to the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.\nThe Senate operates as a collective unit that represents, serves, and protects the best interests of the Métis people and the Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nThey operate through consensus, and senators are to devote time, thoughts, and study to their work.\nIt was established to honour the central role of elder in traditional Métis communities.\nWhen the Senate had been originally established, they had much more authority over the activities of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nThey served as the judicial arm for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan with the power to resolve disputes that occurred between regions and locals, they formed the Métis Elections Commission to oversee elections and by-elections of Executive and Provincial Métis Council, and they oversaw the operations of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan from the period when the general election was called and to when candidates were elected.\nThe authority of the Senate was removed in 2008.\n\n## General Assembly\nThe General Assembly is the political forum for Métis citizens in Saskatchewan.\nThe General Assembly meets annually, and provides a forum where Métis citizens receive information from their government, review documents and provide guidance to the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, and where they discuss, amend, and vote on ratification of amendments to the Constitution of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\n\n## Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Secretariat Inc.\nThe Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Secretariat Inc. serves as the administrative body for the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, through which the policies and programs directed by the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan are administered and carried out.\nThis is because the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan is recognized as the government democratically elected by the Métis citizens of Saskatchewan to advance their Aboriginal rights, including self-government and self-determination, but the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan has to operate through non-profit structures until formally recognized and legislated as a third order of government.\nThe Government of Saskatchewan enacted The Métis Act (Chapter M-14.01 of the Statutes of Saskatchewan, 2001) to promote and strengthen Métis governance of their institutions and communities through partnership between the Government of Canada, Government of Saskatchewan, and Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, and established Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Secretariat Inc. pursuant to The Métis Act.\n\n## Affiliates\nMétis Nation—Saskatchewan has established several affiliates that support the needs of Métis citizens in Saskatchewan.\nThese affiliates include:\nThe Métis Nation Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, exercises all voting rights, power, and duties of ownership of the affiliates, in accordance with the recommendations provided by the Provincial Métis Council.\nThe member of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly with the portfolio responsible for the affiliate sits as the chairperson of that affiliate.\nHowever, under non-profit legislation, the affiliates are independent to the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan.\nMétis Nation—Saskatchewan was a founding member of the [Métis National Council](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-national-council) (MNC), a representative body of Métis governments in multiple provinces.\nIn September 2024, MN—S left the Council, primarily due to conflicts with the MNC's continued admittance of the [Métis Nation of Ontario](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-tis-nation-of-ontario).\n\n# Citizenship in the Métis Nation\nIn 2000, Métis Nation—Saskatchewan formally adopted the National Definition of Métis:\n Métis means a person, who self identifies as Métis, is distinct from other Aboriginal peoples, is of historic Métis Nation Ancestry and is accepted by the Métis Nation. \n \"Historic Métis Nation\" means the Aboriginal people then known as Métis or Half-breeds who resided in the Historic Métis Nation Homeland. \n \"Historic Métis Nation Homeland\" means the area of west central North America used and occupied as the traditional territory of the Métis or Half-breeds as they were known. \n \"Métis Nation\"means the Aboriginal people descended from the Historic Métis Nation which is now composed of all Métis Nation citizens and is one of the \"aboriginal\" peoples of Canada within the meaning of s.35 of the Constitution Act 1982. \n \"Distinct from other Aboriginal peoples\" means distinct for culture and nationhood purposes. \n \nTo ensure that the citizenship review process was in accordance with this definition, the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan ratified the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan Citizenship Act, which outlines the establishment of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan Registry, appointment of the Registrar, the process of citizenship registration, and other matters relevant to operation of the Registry.","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}