1979 Declaration of Rights

With Commentary by Harry W. Daniels

1979 DECLARATION OF METIS AND INDIAN RIGHTS Presentation Photo

Table of Contents
FOREWORD	DECLARATION OF RIGHTS
APPENDIX I - THE EMERGENCE OF THE NEW NATION	APPENDIX II - METIS PETITION FOR SPECIAL STATUS 1845
APPENDIX III - LIST OF RIGHTS - METIS PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT 1870	APPENDIX IV - CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE RECOGNITION OF RIGHTS OF METIS AND NON-STATUS INDIANS
APPENDIX V - NATIVE PEOPLES AND THE BUILDING OF OUR NATION	APPENDIX VI - METIS PETITIONS
APPENDIX VII - PRINCIPLES OF THE METIS MOVEMENT	APPENDIX VIII - POLICY STATEMENT FROM THE NATIVE COUNCIL OF CANADA

Foreword

NCC Presentation Native Council of Canada Board of Directors presenting Declaration to Federal Cabinet, Ottawa, March 19, 1979

The Declaration of Metis and Indian Rights was approved by the Board of Directors of the Native Council of Canada (NCC) and presented to the Joint Cabinet-NCC Committee meeting on March 19, 1979. The members of the NCC Board of Directors were:

Harry Daniels President, Native Council of Canada	George Munroe Vice-President, Native Council of Canada
Pat George Secretary-Treasurer, Native Council of Canada	Bill Weber President, Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians
Margaret Joe Vice-President, Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians	Richard McNeely President, Metis Association of the Northwest Territories
Roy Desjarlais Vice-President, Metis Association of the Northwest Territories	Beatrice Goldney Vice-President, Metis Association of the Northwest Territories;
Fred House President, Metis Association of British Columbia	Walter Miskenack, Vice-President, Metis Association of British Columbia
Stan Daniels President, Metis Association of Alberta	Henry Houle Vice-President, Metis Association of Alberta
Louis Bruyere, President, Ontario Metis and Non-Status Indian Association	Chris McCormick Vice-President, Ontario Metis and Non-Status Indian Association
Rheal Boudrias President, Laurentian Alliance of Metis and Non-Status Indians	Norman Young Vice-President, Laurentian Alliance of Metis and Non-Status Indians
Gary Gould President, New Brunswick Metis & Non-Status Indian Association;	Phil Fraser Vice-President, New Brunswick Metis & Non-Status Indian Association;
Viola Robinson President, Native Council of Nova Scotia	Dwight Dorey Vice-President, Native Council of Nova Scotia
Peggy Rydzewski President, Native Council of Prince Edward Island	Leo St. Onge Vice-President, Native Council of Prince Edward Island

Declaration of Rights - NCC 1979

WE THE METIS AND NON-STATUS INDIANS, DESCENDANTS OF THE "ORIGINAL PEOPLE" OF THIS COUNTRY DECLARE:

THAT METIS NATIONALISM IS CANADIAN NATIONALISM. WE EMBODY THE TRUE SPIRIT OF CANADA AND ARE THE SOURCE OF CANADIAN IDENTITY

THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION AND SHALL CONTINUE, IN THE TRADITION OF LOUIS RIEL, TO EXPRESS THIS RIGHT AS EQUAL PARTNERS IN CONFEDERATION

THAT ALL NATIVE PEOPLE MUST BE INCLUDED IN EACH STEP OF THE PROCESS LEADING TO CHANGES IN THE CONSTITUTION OF CANADA.

THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO GUARANTEED REPRESENTATION IN ALL LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES

THAT WE HAVE THE INALIENABLE RIGHT TO THE LAND AND THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF THAT LAND

THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DETERMINE HOW AND WHEN THE LAND AND RESOURCES ARE TO BE DEVELOPED FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR PEOPLE AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER CANADIANS FOR THE BENEFIT OF CANADA AS A WHOLE.

THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO PRESERVE OUR IDENTITY AND TO FLOURISH AS A DISTINCT PEOPLE WITH A RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE

THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN IN OUR NATIVE LANGUAGES, CUSTOMS, BELIEFS, MUSIC AND OTHER ART FORMS

THAT WE ARE A PEOPLE WITH A RIGHT TO SPECIAL STATUS IN CONFEDERATION

That Metis Nationalism is Canadian Nationalism

WE EMBODY THE TRUE SPIRIT OF CANADA AND ARE THE SOURCE OF CANADIAN IDENTITY

Maxim Marion, Metis Guide, 1872

The birth of the Metis Nation is at the crossroads of the Old and New Worlds where the European and Indian peoples came together. Our country is the home of people from all over the world. Their blood flows in our veins as does that of our Indian cousins. We have taken the best of both worlds to build the Metis Nation. Our home is Canada.

We do not look to Europe or to any other part of the world for our identity. We are simply Native Canadians. Governments have not seen fit to recognize a Canadian identity and culture which is rooted in this land.

Is that because they believe that those who have their roots in this land are inferior?

There can be no distinct Canadian identity nor can there be real national unity until Canadians accept their Aboriginal heritage. The Metis fact, not the French or English, represents the true basis of Canadian culture and identity. In the 19th century the Metis community of Red River was the seed of a truly Canadian identity but this was denied by the government in Ottawa which looked to Europe for its notions of culture. We can no longer be denied. Canada is our birthright.

That We Have the Right to Self-Determination AND SHALL CONTINUE, IN THE TRADITION OF LOUIS RIEL, TO EXPRESS THIS RIGHT
AS EQUAL PARTNERS IN CONFEDERATION

As a founding nation we have a right to determine our own future. When the Metis Nation under the leadership of Louis Riel brought the West into Confederation it did so on the understanding that it was a partner in Confederation. What else could our ancestors believe after they had opened up the West to trade and development, upheld law and order on the plains and resisted offers to join the United States? We came into Confederation as partners and believed that this was confirmed by the Manitoba Act. Since then we have seen our special rights in the Manitoba Act ignored if not wiped out by a stroke of the pen. We will no longer accept this non-recognition.

We know what our contributions are to this country and on what terms we entered Confederation. As a founding nation we have a right to determine our own future. When the Metis Nation under the leadership of Louis Riel brought the West into Confederation it did so on the understanding that it was a partner in Confederation. What else could our ancestors believe after they had opened up the West to trade and development, upheld law and order on the plains and resisted offers to join the United States?

Gabriel Dumont,
Metis Military Leader

We came into Confederation as partners and believed that this was confirmed by the Manitoba Act. Since then we have seen our special rights in the Manitoba Act ignored if not wiped out by a stroke of the pen. We will no longer accept this non-recognition. We know what our contributions are to this country and on what terms we entered Confederation.

We are not an ethnic or immigrant group which leaves foreign countries to improve its life in Canada. We built a nation on this soil and were prepared to join Canada so as to build a larger and stronger nation. But we maintain the right to stay in or get out of Confederation. Our goal is to remain in Confederation but as an equal partner.
The Native peoples have done much to build this great country. Those who would exclude us from participating in its reconstruction are only weakening its foundations. What is the purpose in rebuilding our home of Canada if its original inhabitants are left out in the cold?

That All Native People Must Be Included IN EACH STEP OF THE PROCESS LEADING TO CHANGES IN THE CONSTITUTION OF CANADA.

As partners in Confederation we must be involved in the steps leading to changes in the constitution in the same way as the premiers of the provinces. We cannot accept being treated as just another minority group who are to be consulted at the whim of the English and French. And for good reason. The original constitution of Canada, the British North America Act, did make special provisions for the lands of all Native peoples. But we were not part of the steps leading to the writing of the British North America Act and our wishes and concerns were not as clearly spelled out in the British North America Act as they should have been if we had been fully involved. We cannot assume that references to us in the highest law of the land protect our rights. History tells us otherwise.

Whatever guarantees given us by governments in the past turned out to be empty promises. They were not strong enough to prevent the Metis Nation from being reduced to a landless people. They were not strong enough to prevent thousands of Indians from being made "non-status" by a simple piece of legislation, the Indian Act.

Hon. John Norquay, Metis Premier of Manitoba

Only by participating as partners with the premiers of the provinces in the changes to the constitution can we hope to enshrine and clearly define our rights. Only then can we feel assured that these rights will be protected from those who wish to take them away from us by whatever means. We would be the first to support changes to the constitution of Canada but only if these changes benefit our people and we must be involved in the re-writing of a new constitution itself.


That We Have the Right To Guranteed Representation IN ALL LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES
Louis Riel, Metis Father of Confederation	In order for us to take our rightful place in Canadian society we must be allowed to participate in the political process of the country. As one of the founding nations of Canada, we are entitled to a partnership in ruling the country. This was our belief in 1870 when we brought Manitoba into Confederation on the condition that we be guaranteed representation in the House of Commons and the Senate. The loss of our rights has meant that we are considered ordinary citizens when voting for representatives to sit in assemblies. But there we have little or no chance to make our views known. Our population is thinly spread across the country and without guaranteed representation we will not be able to elect our people to assemblies. We must gain the right to represent ourselves in these assemblies if we are to preserve our identity as a distinct national group. What we are seeking and what we have always sought is a guarantee of a fixed number of seats for Native peoples in both federal and provincial legislative assemblies.


That We Have the Inalienable Right to the Land ' AND THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF THAT LAND
We are part of the land. It is the source of our identity. For us to reject the land and abandon it to those who do not care for it is to deny our heritage. We have lived on and used the land since time immemorial. This close bond with the land was recognized by earlier governments. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 recognized the Aboriginal title to the land of Indian people. The Manitoba Act of 1870 and the Dominion Lands Acts of 1874 and 1879 recognized a Metis title to the land based on our having been the masters and defenders of the land. But while our right to the land has been recognized, it has not been respected. We have been the victims of land grabbers, politicians and today of resource corporations. Our traditional respect for and use of the land has been ignored by those whose feelings for the land go no further than the wealth and votes which can be reaped from its development. We whose purpose in life is tied to the land have become a landless people. We have come to be seen as squatters on our own land. We will never give up our right to the land and its natural resources. To foresake the land is to foresake ourselves.	Metis Hunters on the Plains, 1913


That We Have the Right to Determine HOW AND WHEN THE LAND AND RESOURCES ARE TO BE DEVELOPED FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR PEOPLE AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER CANADIANS FOR THE BENEFIT OF CANADA AS A WHOLE
	Along with our right to the land comes a responsibility for its protection and proper use. We must take care not to permit the development of the land to lead to its destruction. It is our responsibility to see to it that our children and our children's children enjoy the land and its benefits.

We who have lived and still live on the land and depend on the land to satisfy many of our needs must have the first say in how the land is to be developed.

At the same time we are not against genuine economic development. We know the needs of the modern world and have no wish to hoard vital resources. All we seek is the right to take part in the development of these resources as partners and not as victims. As partners we should share in the management and ownership of the corporations which take wealth out of our land. We should have representation on all those boards and committees which decide how development is to take place. We should be guaranteed a share of the profits of the companies which operate on our traditional lands. Only then can we fulfill our obligation to the land and future generations. We must build today for a better tomorrow.

That We Have the Right to Preserve Our Identity AND TO FLOURISH AS A DISTINCT PEOPLE WITH A RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE

We believe it is our right as a people with a rich history and culture to preserve our identity while we participate as partners in the development of Canada. In the past we were denied this right. If we were to succeed in the eyes of the larger society we were expected to give up our identity and beliefs. We were expected to assimilate.

If we are to preserve and enrich our own Native identity and to contribute to the growth of a truly Canadian identity we must have control of our destiny. Culture and identity are not things which can be preserved in a jar. They must grow if they are to survive. However, our culture and identity can grow only if we have control of those institutions which shape our lives and outlook. We believe that our own people, by banding together into strong organizations, can best manage those institutions through which we communicate with each other and to the rest of Canadian society, through which we educate ourselves and our children, and through which we express ourselves in art, beliefs and recreation.

Talent Award Presented by Viola Robinson

That We Have the Right to Educate Our Children

THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN IN OUR NATIVE
LANGUAGES, CUSTOMS, BELIEFS, MUSIC AND OTHER ART FORMS

Louis Riel Dancers, Edmonton, 1979

If we are to survive as a distinct people with a rich cultural heritage we must gain control over the schools where our children are educated. We know that today's schools are where children learn about the history, the culture, the beliefs and values of their society. We also know that schools have tried to force on our children ways of thinking which downgrade our culture and the part we played in developing the country. How are we to preserve our identity if our children are taught to ignore our

history and to embrace ideas which make them ashamed of our way of life? We place great faith in education. It is the hope of our people, the hope for a better future. But without the right to educate our children in our own history and culture, there is little hope for our survival as a people - only a future where our children can succeed in school by turning their backs on their own people. We have too much faith in our children and in our future to doom our children to this fate. If education is the road to progress we must pave the way.

That We Are a People with a Right TO SPECIAL STATUS IN CONFEDERATION

We are an historical national minority with a right to special status in Confederation. We have the right to remain separate and distinct from both English and French Canada and to develop as a people according to our own destiny.

We have a right to self- determination as a distinct national group. We are not just another ethnic group in Canada. As partners in Confederation, we have the right to stay in Confederation or get out of it. We decided not to exercise this right in full when we brought Manitoba into Confederation in 1870. We believed in Confederation then and turned down offers to join the United States. We thought Confederation would allow us to develop and prosper as a distinct people,. as a partner in Confederation. History shows that our hopes were not fulfilled.

Today once again we challenge the rest of Canada to accept us as partners in Confederation. We are a people who take pride in our past and hope in our future. We refuse to remain the "forgotten people". We are the New Nation.

The Native Council of Canada

Harry W. Daniels Former President Native Council of Canada

The Native Council of Canada (NCC) is the national organization of the close to one million Metis and non-status Indian people in Canada. Founded in 1971, the Native Council is a federation of the provincial and territorial associations of Metis and non-status Indians. Its board of directors consists of the executive of the NCC and the president and vice-president of each affiliated organization.

The major objectives of the Native Council are to ensure that the special social and economic needs of Native people are fulfilled and that the special rights of Canada's first citizens are recognized and respected. Through the collective efforts of the Native Council and its affiliates government programs have been created to improve the social and economic conditions of Native people. The Native Council co-ordinates landclaims research which is being undertaken

across Canada to substantiate the historical, legal and moral claims of Metis and non-status Indians. As well the Native Council has assumed a vanguard role in asserting the special status rights of Native people in Canada.

Photos courtesy of the Public Archives of Canada, Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Provincial Archives of Alberta, Dorothy Daniels, John Valentine, CP Press