'The next chapter of our story': Ottawa pens agreement with Alberta Mtis

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennettsigned a framework agreement with theMtisSettlements General Council, a group that represents eight Mtis settlements in Alberta,touting the move as an important step on the road to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

The Mtis settlements, which include about 8,000 people over tens of thousands of hectares across the province's north, have long sought self-determination and an improved relationship with the federal government.

The agreement, co-developed over two years, paves the way for further negotiations with Ottawa as it looks to bolster self-government.

The council which is not affiliated with the MtisNational Council, another organization that representsMtiselsewhere is also looking for greater financial supports to provide social services like health, housing, education and child and family services on their territories.

The governing council wants constitutionally protected Indigenous and treaty rights, which fall under section 35 of the Canadian Constitution, to also apply to theirMtislandbase.

While Mtis peoples have lived on the land for generations, the settlements were only formally established as entities by the province of Alberta between the1930sand 1950s. So theseMtis have had little interaction with the federal government and its programs, which largely have applied exclusivelyto First Nations.

Gerald Cunningham, the president of the council, praised the agreement Monday, saying it "opens doors for us that have never been opened before."

"We will work together to provide for the preservation and enhancement of our Mtisculture and identity," Cunningham said.

Harold Blyan, vice-chair of theBuffalo Lake Mtis Settlement, 160 kilometres northeastof Edmonton, Alta., said the Mtissettlements are eager to make governance changes to spur more economic development.

"Historic agreements like this one are the beginning of the next chapters of the story of theMtis settlements. We have to write the storythe best way we know how, so it's truly meaningful for our members," Blyan said.