MMF Applauds Harvester Card Decision for Mi'kmaq Nation

September 26, 2019

Winnipeg MB - Today the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) is applauding the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs (ANSMC) for creating a system of ID cards for those who qualify for treaty hunting and fishing rights in the province.

"First and foremost, I want to congratulate the ANSMC for this historic step in self-governance," said MMF President David Chartrand. "These harvester cards help to ancestrally connect the First Peoples of Nova Scotia and identify who truly qualifies to exercise traditional practices. Rules and laws pertaining to this issue are not new to Indigenous Nations in Canada. We have been practicing these indigenous laws both orally and in writing for centuries."

The Harvester Card system in Nova Scotia mirrors the one created by the MMF in 2004 as part of its Constitution. The Metis Harvesting Initiative was the first of its kind in Canada. It includes a Harvest Registration, ID Cards, a Metis Conservation Trust Fund, a Metis Management System, and Metis Laws of the Harvest. The Initiative guarantees the harvesting rights for Metis Citizens on their traditional homeland.

"This system also clears up any misconceptions about who has true ancestral rights to harvest," said President Chartrand. "I have been very concerned about some hunters in the Maritimes using questionable ID, including those who identify as Metis. This new system ensures that people with no inherent rights to these natural resources, will have to stop trying to take advantage of the system."

"This new Harvesting system now takes that agreement one step further," added President Chartrand. "Not only does this clear the air about who has the right to harvest, it also confirms that so-called Eastern Metis do not have any claim to ancestral connections to Eastern Canada. There is only one Metis Nation, and it is NOT located on the eastern shores of this country."

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