2023-24 Highlight Report: Métis

On this page

• Introduction
• Improving Health Services for Métis Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People
• Addressing the Needs of Métis Children in Family Care
• Improving Access to Justice for Métis Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People
• Improving the Data Landscape for Métis Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People

Introduction

In response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Final Report and Call for Justice 1.1, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan (National Action Plan) was released on June 3, 2021. The Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People (Federal Pathway) is the federal government's contribution to the National Action Plan. As a National Action Plan partner, Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak contributed their own action plan tailored to the specific needs and priorities Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The following report, which is a part of the 2023-24 Federal Pathway Annual Progress Report, highlights Federal Pathway initiatives that have made progress in 2023-24 towards the priorities identified in Weaving Miskotahâ: The Métis Nation's Journey to Ending Missing and Murdered Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ (PDF) (Weaving Miskotahâ) and the Calls for Miskotahâ in Métis Perspectives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and LGBTQ2S+ People (PDF).

Improving Health Services for Métis Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People

Weaving Miskotahâ and Call for Miskotahâ 53 state that Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people have distinct needs that must be addressed by culturally safe Métis health services. In addition, Weaving Miskotahâ explicitly discussed the need for system navigators to assist Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people to access culturally safe programs and services. In response to these priorities, the federal government has made several investments in Métis healthcare services.

To address anti-Indigenous racism in Canada's healthcare systems Indigenous Services has allocated approximately $7.6 million over three years for 12 projects with each of the Métis National Council's Governing Members and the Manitoba Métis Federation. For example, this year funding continued to support:

• The Manitoba Métis Federation hired a nurse to work on a mobile primary health care van to do outreach to communities, offer pregnancy testing and screening, as well as prenatal care.
• Métis Nation-Saskatchewan hired three health system navigators to provide support to approximately 10,000 Métis citizens.
• The Métis Nation of Alberta hired and trained two health system navigators and one advocate in trauma-informed care, cultural safety, motivational interviewing, and other skills.

As a part of the Addressing Racism and Discrimination in Canada's Health Systems Program operated by Health Canada, funding was provided in 2023-24 to support:

• The Métis National Council received funding for two projects. The first, titled Understanding and Advancing Palliative Care Support in Métis Communities, focuses on community engagement to gather perspectives on palliative care from governing members and Métis Peoples. The gathered insights will be used to enhance internal capacity and inform the broader health system. The second project, "Métis Nation Dialogue on Mental Health and Cannabis," aims to capture Métis Peoples' perspectives on mental health and cannabis. It seeks to identify research opportunities, understand perceptions within Métis communities, and address health and wellness priorities through collaborative efforts with the Métis Nation.
• Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak received funding to advance its efforts in exploring the perspectives of Métis women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) and mental illness. The organization intends to conduct four in-person focus groups on a national level, complemented by a virtual verification session to integrate extra feedback for the creation of a comprehensive "What We Heard" report.

This year Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada continued to fund two Métis-led projects through its Support for the Wellbeing of Families and Survivors of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People program. The funded projects are:

• The Métis Central Western Region II received funding to work with 24 families over two years in an intensive manner that honours their unique cultural, linguistic, and traditional identities.
• The Métis Nation of Ontario received funding to improve access to culturally grounded supports and services for Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people, including trauma-informed supports and services to Ontario Métis communities, families, and victims of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Addressing the Needs of Métis Children in Family Care

An important priority in Weaving Miskotahâ is that Métis children in care require culturally appropriate support programs and safe living environments. As a result of the implementation of An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families this year:

• Two Métis Indigenous governing bodies are preparing to exercise jurisdiction via the framework of the Act and one Métis National Indigenous Organization is advancing culturally appropriate reform of child and family services.
• Indigenous Services Canada received one notice to exercise jurisdiction and one request to enter into a coordination agreement from two Métis Indigenous governing bodies pursuant to section 20 of the Act.
• There is one active Métis coordination agreement discussion table.

Looking forward, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $1.8 billion over 11 years, starting in 2023-24, to support communities in exercising jurisdiction under An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families. In the upcoming year, the federal government will continue to work with Métis communities, groups and people on the implementation of the Act to help ensure that Métis children receive culturally appropriate care.

Improving Access to Justice for Métis Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People

Weaving Miskotahâ and Call for Miskotahâ 20 highlight that Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people require supports and services throughout the justice system. The federal government has responded to this priority by funding programs that support Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people as they navigate the justice system.

Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak have made it clear that the implementation of Gladue Principles is an important priority for Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Call for Miskotahâ 41 specifically calls on by the federal government to commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Metis people in custody. In response to this priority, this year Justice Canada continued to support the availability of Gladue reports for Indigenous offenders through the Indigenous Courtwork Program.

Through the Indigenous Justice Program, Justice Canada has funded four Métis-led projects, for a total of $1.3 million from 2020 to 2025, to support the implementation of Gladue Principles in the mainstream justice system and reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system.

This funding supports projects informed by Gladue Principles that focus on systemic change to address bias and other barriers against Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system. It will contribute to addressing systemic racism and other forms of discrimination against Indigenous people in the criminal justice system through enhanced programming and services, as well as measures targeting institutional and systems-level change. For example:

• The Métis Nation British Columbia is developing a Métis-specific training program to educate justice professionals on Métis, systemic barriers Métis face in the criminal justice system and provide information on Métis-specific programming available to assist writers in the justice system.
• The Manitoba Métis Federation is developing Métis distinction-based education and training resources for justice professionals in Manitoba. The project aims to address the underlying bias and racism in the justice system that have led to the continued overlooking of the needs of Métis people and communities.

Improving the Data Landscape for Métis Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People

In both Weaving Miskotaha and Calls for Miskotaha 1 to 5, Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak have emphasized the need for improved data on Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. In response to this priority in 2023-24 Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada continued to fund two Métis-led data projects through its Indigenous-Led Data Research Projects Program:

• The Manitoba Métis Federation received funding to improve data collection or research methodologies and to collect up-to-date Red River Métis-specific data about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people who are Red River Métis citizens.
• Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak received funding to seek distinctions-based (i.e., Métis-specific) quantitative data on MMIWG from existing governmental data holders, in order to develop culturally competent data indicators supporting the core indicator of "human security".