Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  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.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  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.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  “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.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  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.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  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.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's perfect.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  With all due respect, I think this bill has been a long time coming. We have been self-governing and we have engaged in these conversations for a long time, so I think some of those questions might be better answered by some of the technical team. I'm not here to speak about some of the concerns around the processes, but I can speak to how this has affected young people and the dire need to have young people's voices included in our self-government.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for your question. Thank you, first of all, for reading the article. It's very much appreciated. Last Thursday, some of our previous presidents spoke to some of the consultation, but one of the things I want to highlight around the misinformation.... I can speak directly to an incident that's happening in my home community and how this misinformation is directly affecting young people.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Chair and members of the committee. I'm Jordyn Playne, president of the Métis Nation of Ontario youth council and the youth representative on the provisional council of the Métis Nation of Ontario. I'm a descendent of Marguerite Dusome of Penetanguishene, a historic community along the shores of Georgian Bay.