Thank you, Chair and members of the committee.
I am Andrea Sandmaier. This September, I had the honour of being the first person elected as the president of the Métis Nation of Alberta, the MNA, under our new constitution, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government Constitution.
“Otipemisiwak” is the Cree name for the Métis people. It means “the people who own themselves”, “the people who govern themselves”. No sentiment could better capture the spirit of Bill C‑53. It is a bill to recognize who we are: a self-governing people.
In September, MNA citizens elected new representatives under our new governance structure and constitution. We did this because we are a self-governing nation, and our signed agreements with the Government of Canada recognize that.
Bill C‑53 implements our agreements and protects them. It ensures our Métis governments are equipped to support our citizens. Self-government means that we decide for ourselves how to best support Métis in Alberta. We decide what our housing and health programs look like. We decide how to help prepare our young people with world-class education and training. We decide how to support our elders as they age and we decide how to move forward together.
Only through self-government will the voices of Métis people truly be heard. This is why Bill C‑53 must be passed.
Our Métis ancestors were determined to govern themselves and to protect our traditions, values and truth for generations to come. They fought back against Canadian expansionism and the fraudulent scrip system that dispossessed our families and communities of our lands, and they defended Métis identity, lands, our way of life and our rights.
Over generations, the Crown made promises to our ancestors, but those promises were quickly broken, and our rights were denied and ignored. Nevertheless, we persevered. We came together, held democratic elections and built our self-government structures. Today the Métis Nation of Alberta is a democratic Métis government that represents more than 61,000 registered citizens.
We continue to come together to defend Métis rights and to advance our collective interests. We have built a province-wide service delivery system to help meet the needs of our people, yet we have always struggled to have Canada recognize us for what we are: a Métis government. Passing this legislation will provide that recognition. It is reconciliation in action. This historic step forward is long overdue.
Our section 35 rights as indigenous people are not a zero-sum game. The advancement of self-government and section 35 rights of one nation do not come at the expense of any other indigenous nation, and, more importantly, the legislation expressly applies only to the MNA, the MNO and the MN-S. The legislation does not impact the rights of other indigenous people, including other Métis.
We know that when one nation advances, it sets the path for all of us to move forward. The passage of Bill C‑53 doesn't affect anyone else, but failing to pass Bill C‑53 will hurt Métis people and the advancement of indigenous rights across the board. This is true for the Métis nation today. We deserve to advance in reconciliation, just like all other indigenous people.
Over the past 15 years, Parliament has passed all other indigenous self-government implementation legislation with all-party co-operation. It is our hope and expectation that Bill C‑53 will follow the same path.
I want to thank Minister Miller for bringing this legislation forward, and his successor, Minister Anandasangaree, for continuing this critical work and relationship.
Last November, over 15,000 Métis citizens in Alberta voted for self-government, and we adopted our Otipemisiwak Métis Government Constitution in the largest indigenous ratification vote in Canadian history. At that moment, a new chapter began for the Métis Nation of Alberta, and with this legislation a new chapter begins for Métis across Canada. Together, we can finally put an end to Canada's denial of the Métis as a self-governing indigenous people. Today we are asking for your support in passing Bill C-53.
Thank you.