Manitoba Mtis reach deal on hunting and fishing rights

The Manitoba government and the province's Mtis have signed a deal to recognize hunting and fishing rights.

The agreement was signed Saturday at the Manitoba Mtis Federation's annual general assembly in Brandon.

It recognizes Mtis rights for domestic use in locations that have been agreed on by both the province and the federation.

It also uses the federation's Mtis Laws of the Hunt as the basis for developing new provincial regulations to govern Metis hunting and fishing.

The province says cards that are issued by the federation will be recognized as a means for hunters to identify themselves as Mtis.

A 2003 Supreme Court of Canada ruling recognized the constitutional right of Mtis to hunt and fish for food.

Sticking points in various provinces have tended to focus on definitions of a traditional Mtis community and how large an area each community can claim.

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger and Manitoba Mtis Federation president David Chartrand released a joint announcement of the deal on Saturday.

Chartrand noted that Mtis laws and provincial laws will now be working together for resource management.

The announcement says the new agreement lays out a process for considering Mtis claims in other regions of the province that fall outside of the current ones listed in the deal