Georgian Bay: “of the Métis Nation”

The Georgian Bay Historic Métis Community was one of seven historic Métis Nation communities in northern Ontario studied by the landmark MNC Expert Panel through the lens of the 2002 National Definition and contemporary Métis governance.

During its year-long study, the MNC Expert Panel reviewed over 50,000 pages of evidence, engaged with over 160 Métis Nation citizens, elders, youth, scholars, and leaders during more than 120 hours of meetings, and visited the Georgian Bay Historic Métis Community to engage with and gather additional evidence from community members themselves.

The MNC Expert Panel’s 260-page Final Report represented the most comprehensive, transparent, ethical, and objective study ever conducted on historic Métis Nation communities in what is now Ontario and outlined fact-based historic and contemporary relationships between the Georgian Bay Historic Métis Community and the larger Métis Nation.

The Expert Panel’s conclusions were unambiguous, stating that the Georgian Bay Historic Métis Community “clearly meets the threshold and is a member of the Métis Nation” (pg. 145) as per the National Definition and contemporary Métis governance.

The Expert Panel also recognized that “the community strongly satisfies each of the four Sash Threads of distinct Métis ancestry... and cultural distinctiveness even through the 20th century with kinship connections that run throughout Georgian Bay (e.g., from Moon River to Penetanguishene), Killarney, Sault Ste. Marie, and as far west as Red River and Alberta” (pg. 153), highlighting that: 

“In the mid nineteenth century, the Georgian Bay was considered a part of ‘Western Canada,’ as well as the location of the easternmost Halfbreed or Métis community. This is likewise a significant historical document, as it recognizes that halfbreed/mixedblood/ mixed-ancestry processes occurred in parts of ‘eastern Canada,’ but it is not until the Great Lakes (and particularly Penetanguishene) that one encounters a distinct Métis or Halfbreed population or collectivity” (pg. 98)

See Our Sources

• MNC Expert Panel Final Report

• Upper Great Lakes Submission to the MNC Expert Panel

• Threads of the Sash: Georgian Bay Historic Métis Community

• MNO’s Written Submission to the MNC Expert Panel

• Expert Panel – Métis National Council

• MNC Expert Panel Enabling Resolutions and Terms of Reference

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