Home >> The People and Their Communities >> Issues and Challenges: 20th Century

For the Métis in Alberta, the 20th century marked a struggle for historical and cultural recognition. No longer content to be an impoverished and forgotten people, the Métis in Alberta began to organize with the purpose of gaining legal status as a distinct society.

A significant turn in modern Métis political activism occurred with the formation of L'Association des Métis D' Alberta et des Territories du Nord Quest in 1932. This group, led by Métis political activists such as Joseph Dion and Malcolm Norris, acted as a advocate through which the Métis people could formally air their grievances. The petitions by L’Association des Métis prompted provincial government response in the appointment of the Ewing Commission in 1934, and would ultimately give rise to the Métis Population Betterment Act, enacted in 1938.

These were the first steps in a long process of change for the Métis in Alberta, change that spanned decades, and lead to the development and recognition of the first official Métis Settlements in Canada.

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Metis Association of Alberta (1932)

Ewing Commission (1934-1936)

The Metis Betterment Act (1938)

The Alberta Federation of Metis Settlements Formed (1973)

MacEwan Joint Metis-Government Committee
(1982-1984)

Resolution 18 Incorporated (1985)

Metis Settlements Accord Adopted (1989)

Metis Settlements General Council

Metis Rights: Regina vs. Powley

Who Are Metis?

Harvesting Rights for Alberta's Metis