Updated October 26, 2018: News reports on fraudulent ‘status’ cards and police investigations, and APTN interview with professor researching the ‘eastern Metis’ groups.
This is not new news, it has been reported in previous years, but it doesn’t seem to quell the ongoing efforts of those who would take advantage of a history not well known nor those who would reward them in the name of ‘reconciliation’ or any other feel-good motivation.
Although I’m aware of several well-known & award winning Canadians who have been exposed as having usurped Indigenous identity on which to build a career, i.e. Joseph Boyden, I’ve just learned of another, the Order of Canada and several other prestigious awards recipient, David Bouchard.
Bouchard, who claims Metis ancestry, was exposed for using the officially recognized Metis (Michif) Nation for his own background and gain, after it was discovered he didn’t meet the required ancestral lineage. He responded by creating ‘alternative metis’ groups, which appear to be based in some idea of a pan-Indigenous society. Let’s make it clear, Indigenous nations are nations as much as any other in the world.
Bouchard originally participated in the 2002 inclusion of the official BC Metis Nation arm of the recognized Metis Nation, but his application and involvement was rescinded when he failed the organization’s own requirement of meeting a current line of five direct generations to the prairie Michif people, history, culture, etc.
His ancestry was related to one Algonquin woman ancestor born in 1621. In 2008, he added to his lineage, a Chippewa grandfather and a grandmother from the middle-U.S. nation, the Osage, circa 1800s. These nations are not related to the Metis Nation. These additional details were provided in 2013 by a U.S. genealogist who declared Bouchard a Metis. Unfortunately for Bouchard et al, that’s not how citizenship inclusion works. The research declared Bouchard as having mixed ancestry, but that research must then be taken to the Canadian situated and recognized Metis Nation for verification and then it is they who grant inclusion into the nation. It is understood that an updated application was not submitted to the Metis Nation. No word on whether or not the Osage Nation accepted him.
Although Bouchard’s level of involvement in the 2011 creation of the alternative group, the “BC Metis Federation” is unclear, he went on to create his own alternative national group, the “Metis Federation of Canada” in 2013, with Karole Dumont-Beckett, as first registrar and Sebastien Malette as “legal advisor”, and Johanne Brissette, aka Qalunnette or Abitawiskwe. Neither of these groups require lineage linked to the Michif history. Dumont-Beckett went on to take over yet another group called the “Metis Nation of Canada” in 2019.
One does not simply proclaim oneself to be Metis any more than one may proclaim to be Scottish or a Canadian. There are parameters to be met and a connection to any long-lost or Indigenous ancestor is not one of them. Nor does claiming ancestors prior to the ethnogenesis of the Metis Nation make anyone Metis. How is it people don’t recognize there were no Metis until then? They ignore the fact the Michif don’t call their own originating ancestors, Metis. They are recorded as they were, by their original nationhood, just as Canadians identify their ancestors by their originating nations.
The level to which these people have done damage to the reputation of the recognized Metis Nation and to the people who they sign onto their organizations with the same level of ancestral connections – which is to say non-existent to barely, has many in the Indigenous communities stating these kind of mis-representations could & should be considered fraudulent.
They harm the recognized Indigenous peoples by mis-representing history, snatching opportunities in employment, awards, grants, scholarships and any other avenue meant to lend a hand up to the marginalized, and they mislead thousands of people into unwittingly believing they too belong to a community.
They go further though. They have members who seek out and harass anyone who speaks out about them by swarming on social media, contacting employers to claim all sort of reverse harassment, to threatening lawsuits.
The Metis Nation is an established nation with history of verifiable detail for centuries. For example, as a member of this nation, I could only state on my application my “Metis” – my Michif ancestry, not my Cree, Haudenosaunee, or any other Indigenous nation to which I’m related.
The details of these organizations are publicly available, as are the officially recognized Metis Nation on their own and the Government of Canada’s websites, yet award, grant or bursary organizations, employers, and especially the Canadian media have not thought to act on determining who is officially recognized, as they hand out opportunities meant for the Indigenous. The unfortunate result are long waiting lists for recognized nation members often held back for years, if not entirely rejected.
There is no pan-Indigenous society or ‘nation’ that one with any hint of Indigenous ancestry can run to for representation. Any who claim this are frauds. If one feels they belong to an Indigenous nation, then seek out the particular nation you believe you’re connected to.
On a personal note for those who falsely claim Indigeneity, you are doing so at the cost of opportunity for my child, myself or my relations, although I suspect you already know that. I can only say – shame on you. May you face the price for impinging on the last bastion of our sovereignty – our very identity.
BC Metis Nation order to rescind membership: David Bouchard MNBC membership application rescinded
November 2018 Metis National Council & Manitoba Metis Federation release statements in protection of Metis Nation sovereignty and definition.
THE PRESS POLICE INVESTIGATE MISLEADING ABORIGINAL MAP PLOY
University professor says he faced backlash after researching the rise of the Eastern Metis
APTN – In Focus: What makes the Metis, Metis? Join us as we put Metis Identity InFocus.
Statement on Metis Nation by Harry Daniels.
January 25, 2022 – CBC reports extensive background on Carleton U, assoc. Prof Sebastien Malette that shows his claim to being Indigenous are not justified and affirms the Metis Nation’s lack of recognition of him as a citizen.
Blog Woman!!! - Life Uncategorized 
ouch why do people do that, wanting their minute of fame at the cost of others … happens here too but our biggest frauds are those claiming to be war veterans … hideous and just so wrong!
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Yes, and it’s seems to both serve Government interests when convenient, so they don’t crack down on them to the level they deserve, nor is this of interest to the mainstream medias who have no real interest in updating historical facts on any in-depth basis.
We have to hope there are enough of us to counter what we can and get the school curriculum up to date.
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yes, calling out the myths and education are key!
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Here’s David Bouchard’s proof. Scrip application proof and all, too. I don’t know who compelled you to this slander, Robyn, or why you enjoy it so much.
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Johanne, I thought you refused to debase yourself into attacking “other Métis”.
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Posting the truth is not an attack, Robyn. Neither is asking who compelled you to put your reputation on the line. This is so much bigger than you or me.
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Which is exactly what I did. I did not post anything that isn’t true, isn’t already on record and isn’t already accessible by the public.
By the way, a treaty payment is not scrip. Completely different nation transaction and unrelated to the Metis.
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Reblogged this on Qallunette's Quest and commented:
Here’s David Bouchard’s proof. Scrip application proof and all, too. I don’t know who compelled you to this slander, Robyn, or why you enjoy it so much. You were set up.
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How does one claim to be Metis before having proof? There is no DNA test that can determine what nation one came from. I believe our previous conversations were that Indigeneity within the Metis Nation must prove a direct and immediate line to the Metis ancestry and history on record. Linking to an Indigenous ancestor from the 1600s, 1700s or 1800s as a stand-alone relation does not pass the test. The relationship requires a consistent line from a current known community to a known historical one.
I would not pass that same test to become a Mohawk citizen today, nor in making any claims to be one. I accept that. I have a French ancestor from the early 1700s. I would not pass the test in making any claims to be a citizen of France. I accept that.
I have never spoken about someone’s claim to be Indigenous. I have always encouraged anyone who is searching to contact their nations of origin to learn of the culture and traditions, if their heart feels compelled, but that is no guarantee they will be accepted as full citizens of that nation. The same can be said of the Metis Nation. It is a nation in the same vein as the Ojibway or Osage of the Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas regions or the Cree or the Mohawks. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim to be a citizen of any nation according to the requirements of the nation. The Metis Nation’s requirement is clear and we meet it or we move on. In many cases, for some, moving on meant re-defining what it is to be Metis, without the inclusion of the recognized Metis Nation. Again, by all means, create a new nation if you can meet the parameters of language, customs, tradition and history, but how does one get a card and claim rights if that new nation is not recognized?
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Eligible Initiatives and Projects
Bilateral Processes
The government created the role of the Federal Interlocutor in 1985, in the context of the Aboriginal Constitutional Conferences of 1983 to 1987 as a means of ensuring a direct liaison with the “two national Aboriginal organizations ” representing Métis, non-status Indians and off-reserve status Indians. The Métis National Council was derived from the former Native Council of Canada. Upon the creation of the Métis National Council, the remaining membership of the former Native Council of Canada formed a parallel organization — the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.
Recipients:
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP)
The Métis National Council (MNC)
https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1386384755056/1386384803272
So NO .. the Metis Nation is not the only National Aboriginal Organization representing Metis people. Good try at trying to ruin people’s reputation though !!
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I am aware there are people who believe they have created a whole new nation, or a sister nation or whatever kind of nation and called it the, “Metis Nation”. In fact, there are several of them and none of them are recognized. This is the very point of contention to which I speak and the subject of several news articles.
Harry Daniels, whom many like to mis-quote, gave a clear statement on this. See the new attachment at the end of this blog.
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Thank you for spreading the truth. Keep on fighting the fight to maintain our true Metis identity. Our identity is rooted in our homeland, culture, language, and traditions. Unfortunately others want to belong to our Nation because they see similarities. Similarities are nice but there are differences. Some people lack the vision of the differences yet create their own “Metis” clubs. We know who we are and we don’t need an alternative definition.
Move along, fake Metis.
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