Bill C-21 Bill C-21, An Act to give effect to the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty
Bill C-21 (Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty Act) would give legal effect to the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty between Canada and the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), recognized as the Government of the Red River Métis.
Bill C-21 threatens to create a hierarchy of rights, with the federal government seeking to implement the alleged self-government rights of the Red River Metis at the expense of First Nations Treaty rights. The legislation sets the stage for expansive Métis jurisdiction over areas like economic and social development, administration of justice, wildlife, migratory birds, and fish harvesting and management, and environmental protection and assessment. This has the potential to undermine certainty and create legal battles for years to come in any area with possible jurisdictional overlap.
National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has called for Bill C-21 to be withdrawn pending further consultation with First Nations.