The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples...

The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples held public hearings and conducted fact-finding activities in western and northern Canada in late September and early October as they studied Métis identity in Canada. Committee Chair Senator Gerry St. Germain, who is Métis, said the hearings built on the knowledge acquired from witnesses in Ottawa to enhance and expand “our understanding of the regional issues and concerns facing Métis today.” “Earlier this summer, we heard from several Métis Elders and regional organizations which helped shape our knowledge of the complexities of Métis identity in this country,” said Senator Lillian Dyck, deputy chair of the committee.

In the spring, the committee began its study on issues respecting the legal and political recognition of Métis identity in Canada, including legal, political and cultural definitions of the Métis and processes for enumeration and registration of the Métis. Other areas, which relate more broadly to the question of identity, include the eligibility of the Métis for existing federal programs and services and the exercise of Métis Aboriginal rights, including those that may be related to lands and harvesting.