New report calls for Canada to work on reconciliation with Mtis

The Mtis Nation of Alberta hopesa new report will be a turning point in their people's history.

The report, "A Matter of National and Constitutional Import,"makes a series of recommendations for Canada to improve its relationship with Mtis people.

"I hope it really does mean a change," said Audrey Poitras, president of the Mtis Nation of Alberta."The Mtis are a forgotten people and it can't happen any longer."

The report makes 17 recommendations, ranging from reviewing Mtis' access to federal programs, such as those that provide health benefits, to establishing a national office to deal with all Mtis matters in the country.

'Life changing'

The lawyer for the Mtis Nation of Alberta called the report potentially life changing for peopleacross the country,in particular its recommendations to review all federal programs.

Jason Madden said current programs designed for Aboriginal people often exclude the Mtis.

"Right now we have situations in communities that are just stone's throws from First Nation reserves, where elders are able to get access to medication and Mtis are not able to access those programs," said Madden.

He said it's not an exaggerationto characterize some of those situations as life and death.

"You're making choices between whether you pay your rent or whether you're able to pay for your medication," he said, adding that a recent study by the Mtis Nation of Alberta found worse health outcomes than some First Nation communities.

The 50-page reportwas prepared by lawyer Tom Isaac, who was appointed by the Conservativegovernment in 2015 to provide clarity onMtisrights under Section 35 of the Constitution.

Madden said thereport feels like a huge breakthrough for the Mtis after many years fighting through the courts.

'What I've done over the last decade is continue to throw pebbles at the window, and I think with all the court cases ...there's been cracks in that window, and hopefully that glass will fall down now," he said.

Report wants fishing and hunting rights issue resolved

Madden hopesnegotiations will now begin quickly between the Mtis and the federal government,and with the Alberta government, especially when it comes to resolving longstanding issues over fishing and hunting rights.

The report describes the 2007 cancellation of a previous agreement that allowed the Mtis to hunt and fish for food without a licence as a "significant irritant for the Mtis in Alberta."

Poitras said she has been inundated with phonecalls from across Alberta about it.

"We get calls and calls and calls from people, saying I need to go out and get some food," said Poitras.

She said the termination of the agreement changed a way of life for many people, especially those in remote areas of northern Alberta.

"All of a sudden they're scared to go, because their truck or their boat is going to be taken from them," said Poitras.

She said she wasencouraged the province had already committed to discuss the matter, even before Thursday's report was released.

Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett said reconciliation with the Mtis is a priority for the federal government.

Richard Feehan, Alberta's minister of Indigenous relations,welcomed the report'sfindings and recommendations andsaid the province is already working with the Mtis in areas of consultation.

He agreed the controversial termination of hunting and fishing rights had been "problematic," and said it was another area the provincial government was happy to discuss with the Mtis and the federal government.

Feehan said the governmenthas already been talking to the Mtis about hunting and fishing rights but was not ready to make promises about a new agreement.

"I won't commit to any particular outcome, because I'm wanting to commit to a conversation with the people it affects, and I don't want to pre-judge that outcome. Instead,I'm more than happy to commit to those conversations happening with all of the Mtis people of Alberta."

While not a specific recommendation in the report, the issue of the Mtis hunting and trapping inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons range is mentioned.

Karen Collins, vice-president for Region 2, the northeastern areaofthe Mtis Nation of Alberta, said she hoped to see progress there as well.

"Currently there is exclusive access only to our neighbouring First Nations communities, and I think that access needs to be extended to the Mtis people that have certainly come from that traditional area," said Collins.

Poitras said she was keen to be involved in negotiations with both levels of government as they look at implementing the recommendations in the report.

Isaac, the Vancouver based lawyer who wrote the report, is well-known across the country in the field of Aboriginal law.

His report identifies the Mtis as people with a central place in the history and development of Canada whose rights are affirmed in the Constitution.

Isaac describes the Mtis as a distinct Aboriginal people as the result of unions between European explorers and traders and the original inhabitants of what is now Canada.

His report shows a population of 451,795 Mtis people in Canada, with 96,870 of them in Alberta, the most of any province.