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Benefits of a Metis Status Card
what are the benefits of having getting a Metis Indian Native American Aboriginal Status Card omfrc Cards government recognized issued rights representation organizations application Ontario who qualifies as Metis qualifications who is are
Many people who are looking for their Metis status card end up calling us out of frustration,
so we have put the following common questions and answers that every person applying should know --
Q. I got a card from another organization but they didn't give me any results so I don't know
who my native ancestors are.
A. Before you apply to any group or ask for any research, make sure you know what they will give
you for results. Some groups might advertise they find your results but read the words carefully,
as they might not actually provide anything back to you.
At Voyageur Metis, our goal is to share information so you can share this with your cousins. Yes,
we actually do help you find your Native ancestors with actual records we send you. Other groups don't.
Contrary to what other groups claim, most ancestral records are not part of the "privacy act" and
can be shared. If you're reading that they can't give you info due to the privacy act, this is only
partly true. Giving ancestral records that are before a certain time period is not only legal, it is
the same as any other genealogist's results you would get if you hired someone to do your family genealogy.
Not only that, but the privacy act includes a clause that states it does not apply to aboriginal
groups for the purpose of making a claim, and that would include claiming Native American ancestry
for the purpose of proving someone is Metis.
Q. I applied for a card with another group but I don't know how I got my card.
A. Perhaps ask yourself these questions before handing your money to anyone -- If you were applying
for a passport, would they give you one if you didn't have to prove you are the person applying? Did
that group require your legal birth record that includes the names of your parents on it? Did they
ask you to prove you are a blood relative of the Native line they did a search on, by asking for birth
and marriage records for each person in that line? Do you think you could prove in a court of law that
you are Metis if you didn't supply this information to get your card and they didn't give that information
to you once their "research" was completed?
If you do not have your own legal records to prove that each generation descends from the previous one,
then how many other people were also not required to do this, within the same group? A group that does
not ask for proof does not have a solid registry, so their card is meaningless.
All groups are different, and do not share information. They are not connected to each other. They do
not share databases and they do not share funding, so if you apply to the wrong one, you will not get
your money back. You need to find out which group to apply to before you send any money.
Q. I applied to the wrong group and they refused me. Why can't I just be accepted into the right group when I apply?
A. Because there are different organizations that represent different types of Metis, depending on your
ancestry and culture, you need to apply to the group that fits your line. If you have applied to the
wrong group, you will not be refunded the application fee as it covers the time needed to check your
application. Groups do not share information so they will not transfer it to another group. You might
still be able to get Metis Status with another group, depending on what proof you have so it's better
to know which to apply to beforehand.
Also we are hearing reports of orgs that tell people to go ahead and apply with certain ancestral lines,
and then after applying they are being refused. If you do not get clear indication from an org that they will in fact
accept your Native ancestry for their registry, then do not apply to them thinking they will accept you. You
will not be refunded for having paid them to look at your file.
Our research team helps in finding your Native American ancestors and can do a search for records for
your Native line for a minimum fee. (You don't need to be from our community to access this service).
Ours is the ONLY organization that provides the results of this search so you know who your Native ancestors
are and can share this information with your family. You can also know which tribe you descend from
if that information is available. Our researchers each have extensive experience with genealogy, old
script, and can speak and read French.
Call for any questions or if you need assistance with application.
Our Status cards are professionally printed on pvc plastic, and have a special security
watermark coating on the top clear layer so that they cannot be forged. (They are not
laminated, they are thick plastic like the health card or driver's license card).
Besides giving you all the records and information we find, the back of the card also has
QR codes that contain your Native ancestral line and a description of the proof that is
in our registry. This makes it easy for you to share with others in the family, and if
anyone wants to verify your proof themselves, they can do this using the QR code information.
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Benefits of Metis Status
Pride
Registering as Metis is a way of showing pride for your ancestral Native Grandmothers and their
hard work in the beginning of the first international economy of North America, that of the fur trade.
Community
Metis Status gives access and fellowship to your extended kinship community, and without membership,
Metis communities cannot represent you.
Registration with the organization within your type of ancestry is not like being in a club, it's
about being part of a family and community.
Registration with Voyageur Metis means your genealogy has been verified to be true and accurate,
and it is proof that you actually are "part Native", and that your cultural community is that of Muskrat
(French Canadian) Metis of the Great Lakes historic communities.
Our registry is completely documented, and there are no holes in it. Other registries might be
easier to join, but if they do not require you to provide your own birth or baptism records,
then their registry is not complete, so you need to ask them if they require this proof before
paying them anything.
Any group that does not have a solidly proven registry will not get benefits from government programs nor
representation for your rights. If you pay to have your Native line searched, find out about the results
they will give you before paying anything. We are the only group that will provide you with any
genealogical details we discover about your Native ancestors, including tribal or fur trade
information if we have it, and we will send you the actual records we find that completely
document your line up to the information you provide us about yourself and living persons,
(which is not available to us except from you). If your own birth record was not given to the registry,
then your line is not completely proven nor documented. To prove a Metis ancestry, each record
must name the parents of the person in the record, and each generation must have its records to
link to the previous one, including yourself and anyone else applying.
Representation and Rights
Some groups might seek harvesting, hunting or fishing rights, or even the right to harvest plant
material. Rights are determined by agreements signed between the government and the organization.
There are many different organizations that represent many different groups of Metis. Being Metis
or having a card does not entitle you to automatic rights, since some groups do not negotiate for
rights.
We do not know what the future holds for anyone. Having Metis Status with a particular organization
might mean your community has negotiation of rights -- for now, and for the future. Some organizations
do not have any intention to seek benefits nor represent you, so it's best to ask before you apply.
Groups do not share databases, nor funding, nor resources, so application to the wrong group is not
transferrable to another group.
Programs
Social programs are varied and can include health programs, health studies for particular hereditary
diseases, cultural learning programs, assistance programs, cultural and heritage workshops, improvement
incentives, work programs, help with housing, family programs (baby wellness, family counselling, etc)
preservation of heritage and culture, etc. Funding for programs depends on agreements with Canadian
government and the numbers of registered members of an organization.
Education
Native Americans have traditionally had a lower number of high school, college and university graduates
than the average population. Native Americans have traditionally been under-represented in the labor
force. Native Americans are the fastest growing population. The government now understands that they
will need training as they will be a major pool for the labor force in the future, so they are
encouraging educational institutions to make accommodation for aboriginal persons, whether they be
First Nations, Inuit, or Metis.
Having a Metis Status card can help secure a place in a college or university. Considering that Metis
families' ancestors helped to build the economy of this continent, and then had to hide their identity
for generations or have rights taken away, and considering that these Native ancestors' hard work has
never been properly recorded nor recognized, and considering that Metis families often changed their
names and hid their identity to get jobs, it's time the Metis come out of hiding and access these programs,
so that they can become more represented in colleges and universities.
There are also scholarships and bursaries that Metis can apply for. Application for such funding
should be based on genuine need, as there are so many Metis families with lack of resources for education.
Workplace
Major corporations usually have policy in place that encourages hiring from the 4 groups of people
most under-represented in the workplace in Canada -- visible minorities, handicapped persons,
aboriginal persons and women. Aboriginal persons under the Canadian Constitution Act include
First Nations, Inuit and Metis. Whether this helps or not with workplace depends on the circumstances
of the company or organization hiring.
Taxes
All Metis persons pay taxes, just like nearly everyone else in the country. If you are applying to
ANY Metis organization so you can save taxes, please know that NONE of the organizations issuing
Metis cards can do this for you. Every Metis person pays taxes.
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Many Metis people have used the PC term "French Canadian" to describe themselves. Although their
culture is Metis, there is still so much misunderstanding and old hollywood stereotyping of what
it means to be indigenous. And so many Metis feel unworthy to claim it because they think they
need to learn and become culturally First Nations, but that is not true. Metis culture is no
more like First Nations culture than being Filipino would make someone Chinese. And there are
as many types of Metis culture as there are communities where the Metis have lived.
Only when significant numbers of Metis persons get their Metis Card, will representative organizations
be able to negotiate on their behalf. If the Metis want their tax money to work for their interests,
then they need to register with their representative organization. Only by finding our Native ancestors
will we be able to prove how many people in our historic towns and villages are Metis
who have been hiding that part of their identity for generations.
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