Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin Denounces Métis Panel Report For Historical Inaccuracies – Wawa-news.com
The newly released Métis National Council Expert Panel is doubling down on the Métis Nation of Ontario’s efforts to revise and misrepresent the histories of our lands and ancestors, say Robinson Huron Chiefs.
“As a Nation that recognizes and honours our Treaty relationship with the federal government, the Robinson Huron Treaty (RHT) Nations unequivocally condemn and challenge every aspect of this report,” said Scott McLeod, Lake Huron Regional Chief and member of the Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin political working group. “To be clear, the Métis were not signatories to any of the pre-Confederation Treaties, nor was a peace and friendship treaty ‘renewed’ between the Anishinabek and the MNO/Métis in 2015, as the report erroneously argues. To suggest otherwise not only misrepresents history — it undermines the spirit and intent of the Treaties themselves, and the original Nation-to-Nation relationship they represent.”
Oral history, along with our continuous, in-depth research and teachings on Treaty, make this clear: the original Treaties on this land were made between the Anishinaabe and the Crown. The so-called Métis represented today by the MNO were not a Treaty partner in any of these agreements. The MNO’s claim to represent seven distinct Métis communities in Ontario does not meet the legal or historical requirements necessary to demonstrate continuous occupation, governance, and sovereignty over our territories prior to Treaty-making.
