'We will be coming right to your house': MMF launches office on wheels
The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) will be hitting the road in a new office on wheels to help people fill out their citizenship applications and learn about education programs.
The outreach bus will enable the MMF to connect with its population, particularly those who live outside of Winnipeg, said MMF President David Chartrand.
"It's a great, great message we are sending to our people: we will be coming right to your house, right to your door," he said at the bus' unveiling on Monday afternoon.
There are about 120,000 Métis people in the province and 50 per cent of them live in rural or isolated areas, Chartrand said. Of that population, only about 22,000 are registered with the MMF.
He said it is very important that people register and understand their rights after a Supreme Court ruling in 2016 that said the federal government had jurisdiction over Métis people and Indigenous people without Indian status, meaning the government also has the same responsibility to them as it does to Inuit and people with status.
The ruling gives Métis people a stronger position to negotiate programs, services and land claims with the federal government.
The new mobile office will ensure people who otherwise can't easily go through the Métis citizenship process will have the opportunity, Chartrand said.
"We know full well that everyone who carries that card is guaranteed a part of the Métis Nation, a family to Métis Nation and entitlement to services will come with that," he said.
The bus will also have access to the internet, which will make it easier for people in rural communities to submit their long-form birth certificates and trace their genealogy back to the Red River Métis, both of which are requirements for citizenship. Chartrand said many people don't have the finances or internet access to take those steps on their own.
The office will also provide information on specific training and education opportunities for Métis citizens.
"This new idea of an office going right to your village, I think, is going to change the very essence of opportunity and information that can happen between both parties," Chartrand said.
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, who was on hand for the unveiling of the bus, said it's important that Métis people don't just know their rights, but know how to exercise them.
"Its an exciting time as we are creating stronger and more resilient future for the Métis Nation in Manitoba and making a real and immediate difference for people on the ground," she said.
The federal government invested more than $500,000 for the mobile outreach office project, a news release said.
