44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 31, 2023
- 04:31:22 p.m.
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One of my fears is that we're treated differently than first nations. We are not given the resources that are given to first nations. We aren't really considered as first nations. We're sort of cast aside when we shouldn't be. If we say we're indigenous—and this is my personal opinion—we are telling the truth. It's not like we're a minority group. We've been around for centuries, decades and multiple generations. We're not going to go away anytime soon. I think we need to be considered.
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- 04:32:08 p.m.
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Thanks very much, Mr. Stenlund.
Ms. Playne, perhaps I will direct the same question to you—not the second one, because I think you answered that in part of your opening statement, but the first one.
Can you talk about the ways in which Métis youth across the country can exercise their leadership in the capacity of advancing indigenous rights for peoples across the country? What are some of the ways in which youth can do that, and is there a role for the federal government to be supportive in those endeavours?
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- 04:32:44 p.m.
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Absolutely. I think young people need to stand up and be proud of being Métis.
In the previous week, you heard a lot about Métis once being known as “the forgotten people”. What I'm seeing among young leadership in Ontario and across the motherland is that we are no longer sitting quietly and hiding. We are the ones leading the way and being proud of who we are. We are raised in a beautiful culture and community. Folks need to stand tall and speak their truth. It's not easy. We've seen that, but it's worth it.
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- 04:33:15 p.m.
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Could you elaborate on this? What has changed? You say “no longer”, which implies there was a time when youth were feeling less vocal or less engaged than you and your generation are now, perhaps.
Where do you think the shift occurred? What's behind that?
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- 04:33:34 p.m.
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I think more people are talking about Métis communities and families. It's something that is super common now. I come from a community that represents 25% of the Métis citizens in Ontario. We are engaging in dialogue, from the itty-bitties all the way up to our elders. It's no longer something folks are hiding. More people are coming to gatherings and engaging in dialogue that way.
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- 04:34:05 p.m.
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Thanks very much.
You said, “itty-bitties”. I was in education for a long time, but I have not heard that term. I'm bringing that back to Manitoba—the “itty-bitties”.
Ms. Jordyn Playne: That's perfect.
Mr. Ben Carr: Thank you.
Mr. Stenlund, thanks very much for your participation. I give you kudos for taking time out of your day to participate in the democratic process in support of something that means a lot to you.
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- 04:34:32 p.m.
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Thank you.
We're going now to Madame Bérubé.
You have six minutes.
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- 04:34:36 p.m.
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Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for joining us, both in person and remotely.
My question is for Ms. Playne.
In an op‑ed piece that appeared in the Toronto Star on Saturday, you said that Métis youth felt disheartened and anxious.
You also spoke about polarization, saying partisan politics was a growing problem impacting Métis youth.
Can you give the committee a clearer picture of the concerns you have regarding Métis youth?
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- 04:35:15 p.m.
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Thank you for your question.
Absolutely.
I should also note that I'm a registered social worker. I work in a psychiatric hospital in my home community. This is where the intersection of my elected position and my social work position comes into play. I have conversations on a daily basis with young people about how they are affected by this misinformation. My community in particular—the Georgian Bay community—has been called into question. We've been called frauds, not real and not actually existent. You don't know what that does to a person until you see it in big, bold letters in academic articles or newspapers. To see your community called out.... Your family history feels as if it's been erased.
That's what makes people anxious. If we're seeing these questions and call-outs happen, what's next? We don't know, but I can assure you that Métis young people across Ontario know who we are. We are proud. We are born and raised in our communities, as Hayden shared earlier. That is something that is unequivocal and firm for Métis young people, which helps with the anxiety.
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- 04:36:28 p.m.
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What impact would Bill C‑53 have on Métis youth?
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- 04:36:37 p.m.
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“How won't this impact Métis youth?” is the real question. This will fundamentally impact young people in every single way. One of the beautiful things all our Métis governments have engaged in is ensuring young people are at the centre of every dialogue that happens. When we think about our laws, our policies, the way our child welfare system could be shaped or our mental health supports, young people are in those conversations.
This bill moving forward would empower young people to continue those dialogues in order to shape a Métis nation not only for ourselves but also for the future generations—for my children and my children's children.
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- 04:37:14 p.m.
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I'm going to turn to Mr. Stenlund.
I commend you for participating in the committee's study. It takes a lot of courage to be here as a student.
What are your concerns regarding Métis youth?
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- 04:37:32 p.m.
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I am concerned that some people don't think we are an actual indigenous group and that some people don't believe us when we say we are Métis. We should be proud of who we are. We should be able to say, without repercussion, that we are indigenous, that we have an identity, that we have a way of life and that we are strong, proud Métis people who have a culture and a language, which is Michif. We have jigging, fiddling and ways that should be recognized. We shouldn't be cast aside. We should have a voice at the table.
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- 04:38:28 p.m.
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My question is for both Ms. Playne and Mr. Stenlund.
In the current landscape, what happens to Métis young people when they grow up? When something like this goes on and on, what is the intergenerational impact?
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- 04:38:55 p.m.
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First, I'm going to thank Hayden.
You can go and catch your school bus now, Hayden. You can disconnect and head off. Thanks.
On the question of the intergenerational effects that this could have, as you heard my son say, he knows where he came from. He has been raised within a Métis community. His ancestors before him knew who they were. Canada formally recognized us. With Canada delaying this, it puts into question—as Hayden just spoke—who we are as a people. Are we a real people? We know that we are. We are recognized in the Constitution, yet Canada is delaying formally recognizing our inherent right to self-government.
You need to move forward and treat us equitably.
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- 04:39:44 p.m.
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My last question is for Ms. Omeniho.
What does recognition mean for women in Métis communities?
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- 04:39:58 p.m.
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Thank you for the question.
I'd like to tell you that, for many women in our communities, it means that their roles are much more significant. We come from a strong egalitarian society where women were a significant part of all of the things that we did. You can see that in the leadership that exists within the Métis nation and how many of our leaders are Métis women who are holding strong and pushing forward on Métis rights. We proudly stand with them and support them.
Métis women, more than anybody, know the sacrifices that were made when we became a part of the forgotten people. I know that most Métis women we've consulted with and engaged with are very supportive of this legislation.
I come from Alberta. There has been an extensive amount of consultation and engagement around the Constitution and what self-government means. I'm no longer a young person, but since I was a very young person and my mother took me to Métis meetings—I even went to Métis meetings with my grandmother—we have talked about self-government. People wanted self-governance. It has been decades for us to get to this point, and I think the important part is moving forward. We're not here to try to deny anybody else their rights, but I will tell you that we have not been engaged on other indigenous self-government legislation with other indigenous peoples. It wasn't a requirement.
I appreciate that there are a lot of processes involved within the Government of Canada in how legislation gets passed and what treaties do, but those are processes that the government controls. We have no control over any of those matters.
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- 04:42:02 p.m.
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Thank you. We're at the end of our six minutes.
Now we'll go to Ms. Idlout.
The floor is yours.
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- 04:42:09 p.m.
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[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]
Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.
Thank you to the witnesses. It is always a pleasure to hear what you have to say and to hear the youth as well. The young man delivered his speech really well.
Theresa, I am so proud of your son. Although he is still going to high school, he is already showing signs of leadership.
I want to ask every one of you if you can respond to my question.
If Bill C-53 is passed, in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, when the Métis have their own government, when you have self-government, you will be able to pass bylaws. What kind of legislation would you like to see in the constitution? As a self-governing people in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, what kind of legislation would you like to see for Métis to be able to govern themselves?
[English]
What kinds of laws would you like those self-governing nations to make? We're assuming that by having self-government that will naturally lead to those self-governments making laws. What kinds of laws would you like to see those nations making that will have impacts on Métis peoples in each of the nations that will be impacted?
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- 04:44:45 p.m.
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Thank you.
I wish I could sit here and answer that, but I think one thing that was raised earlier was that we need to consult with our people. We need to talk to them about what laws they want to see. It's not up to me. It's up to the people. We listen, we sit and we learn, and then we go back and make those decisions.
I wish I could sit here today and list off 50 different laws that I would love to see, but I'd be misspeaking, because I know young people love to be in dialogue and that's what we plan on doing. We want to have that dialogue in order to make those decisions. I can guarantee you that young people will be at the centre of those dialogues.
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