Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Dec. 9th, 2024

[Andrea Sandmaier]

I'm here to focus on the Otipemisiwak Métis Government. It is the Métis nation and our governments that are responsible for determining our own citizenship. I'm here today to talk about procurement and the issues that have been going around this table.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Has the court decision concerning your members affected your membership in the Métis National Council?

[Andrea Sandmaier]

I'm not sure I understand what court decision you're speaking about.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

On March 28, 2024, the Federal Court issued a decision against the Métis Nation of Alberta ordering revisions to the agreement between the Métis Nation of Alberta and Ottawa. The decision states that the agreement is based on an overly broad definition of the people it covers and that it was reached without consultation with other Métis groups in the province.

Do you think the decision had an impact on your membership in the Métis National Council?

[Andrea Sandmaier]

No, it has not at all made any difference.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Explain to us why the Metis Settlements General Council of Alberta, which is the central government of the eight Métis settlements in Alberta, is not affiliated with the Métis National Council or the Otipemisiwak Métis Government.

[Garrett Tomlinson]

I can speak to that.

The Métis settlements operate under provincial legislation in Alberta and are a creature of provincial statutes. They sit within their own legislative framework, and have for a significant period of time, whereas the Otipemisiwak Métis Government in the Métis nation of Alberta, although being the body that led to the creation of the settlements, exists under the Societies Act, within a different frame and different legislative sphere.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

In your opinion, what legitimacy does the Métis National Council currently have?

[Andrea Sandmaier]

Again, I'm here today to talk about our government and our registry system. I didn't come here today representing the Métis National Council. I'm here today representing the Otipemisiwak Métis Government.

I'm also here with many of the elected officials under our Otipemisiwak Métis Government, and I just want to thank them right now for attending tonight and being here to support Mr. Tomlinson and me. We are here because this matters to us, and you can't speak about indigenous identity without indigenous governments at this table.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Can you give us the definition, then, of a Métis community or Métis identity?

[Andrea Sandmaier]

Can you repeat the question, please?

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Can you give us the definition of what a Métis community or individual is, according to your organization?

[Garrett Tomlinson]

Sure, I can speak to that.

For individuals, a Métis citizen is identified as someone who self-identifies as Métis, someone who ancestrally connects to the historic Métis Nation and someone who then has community acceptance in accordance with our citizenship laws within the Métis Nation of Alberta and becomes registered through our registry process.

The community is defined as the Métis nation within Alberta, and that is the body and the collectivity of those citizens together residing within the provincial boundaries of Alberta at this time.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you, Mr. Lemire.

Next we'll go to Ms. Idlout for six minutes.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Qujannamiik,Iksivautaq.

Welcome to the witnesses and the delegation that came with them. It's always good to see people come to show their support to you.

My first sets of questions will be about procurement specifically, and to learn from you what your recommendations would be to ensure that the federal government is doing a better job with the implementation of its policies.

In previous times we've been told by Minister Patty Hajdu that she had hosted an economic reconciliation table, and with that dialogue there were conversations about barriers to indigenous procurement.

I wonder about your view of federal procurement policies that support indigenous economic development and reconciliation.

[Andrea Sandmaier]

I think the government could learn from the processes that we use to verify citizens. I think by having conversations with us about what I said earlier about our MétisWorks, which is already established—the database with verified Métis-owned businesses on it—there could be a lot more collaboration, and they could learn from how we verify our citizens and our Métis-owned businesses.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

How should the existing procurement programs account for intersecting identities such as indigenous women and indigenous peoples with disabilities?

[Andrea Sandmaier]

I'll give one example of some of the programs that we offer within the Otipemisiwak Métis Government. Our Rupertsland Institute and Apeetogosan, which is our lending institution, partner and assist women entrepreneurs. We've put on different programs to help women. We had a conference two years ago, a women's entrepreneurship conference, that was very well attended. We're doing these things already within our government. We also have a program for youth who are starting businesses on the side, so we have all these programs already. Those are the kinds of things that we're doing within our government to support women and youth.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

You've partially answered a question that I was going to ask you, but I'm going to ask you anyway to give you another opportunity to respond.

How can various levels of government ensure that indigenous businesses have the capacity and support needed to participate in government-led procurement processes?

[Andrea Sandmaier]

Again, we are doing that work through our government. Most recently, this fall, we held two procurement workshops for Métis-owned businesses that are registered already with our MétisWorks program, and people came out. We had one in Edmonton and one in Calgary, and they were very well attended. Citizens were able to learn about the tools and resources that are available for the procurement program through the government.

We're going to continue to support our entrepreneurs in Alberta with whatever kinds of programs we're developing. We're right now doing consultation with citizens and entrepreneurs on our own economic reconciliation strategy. Right now we don't yet have sustainable funding to develop programs that are sustainable, so we're working with Canada at tables to talk about things like that.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you so much.

I do have a bit more of an awkward question, given that Randy Boissonnault had initially said that he was Cree and then became Métis. Then he said that he was adopted by a Cree family, and now he's telling us that the family that adopted him, his mother and brother, are part of the Métis Nation of Alberta. Can you verify that?

[Andrea Sandmaier]

Our registry is confidential. It's in our citizenship law within our Otipemisiwak Métis Government.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Okay.

I have one final question. You mentioned that MétisWorks is public. Would any of the affiliations that Randy Boissonnault has claimed be on that registry list?

[Andrea Sandmaier]

I don't know that.