The Politics of Community and the Métis Nation

The key elements of the “politics of community”- community identity,cohesion, representation and recognition - lie at the heart of our longstanding struggle as a distinct people and nation to be self-governing within the Canadian federation. For the Métis Nation, “community” encompasses the Métis population in towns, cities, rural and hinterland areas of the historic Métis homeland comprising the three prairie provinces and “extending” into Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the northern United States. But “community” also transcends the physical and social dimensions of this population and encompasses the common history, culture and political consciousness of Métis people throughout this region. In this sense, “community”, or “Métis political community” if you will, conveys the sense of nationhood of Métis people that has been expressed through Métis nationalism.