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The Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) has opened an office and retail space in Ottawa to create a stronger presence in the capital since removing itself from the Métis National Council in 2024.
Located in Byward Market, a busy tourist area near Parliament Hill, the 1,900-square-foot space opened its doors on Feb. 26.
The space, named “Le Magazaen,” meaning “the store” in Michif, is designed both for meetings and as a retail store and gallery to showcase Métis artisans from Saskatchewan.
Richard Quintal, MN-S chief executive officer, calls it “a space where we can sit and meet with public officials, with elected officials, to be able to negotiate, talk about our priority areas, and continue the work of self-government.”
Quintal said the inspiration for Le Magazaen came from the meeting places at general stores during the 1885 Northwest Resistance.
“It has a feel of an 1880s general store, where we’re going to be able to sell our craftspeople and artisans’ work from Saskatchewan, so that we can empower our artists and our craftspeople who live in community to make a living,” he said.
Alongside the artwork of 16 Saskatchewan Métis artists, Le Magazaen also features a collection of loaned artwork from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
A major motivation to open the space came from the MN-S’s desire to have a presence in Ottawa, particularly as it finalizes a self-government treaty with the federal government.
“We’ve expanded past needing the advocacy in Ottawa and having people do that for us, and so we need to have those discussions ourselves,” Quintal said.
Le Magazaen features artwork from 16 Métis artists in Saskatchewan as well as pieces loaned by Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (Métis Nation-Saskatchewan)
The Métis National Council, the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Métis Nation of Ontario all have offices in Ottawa.
During the last Parliament, opposition from groups in Ontario and Alberta to a bill recognizing the governments of the Métis Nation of Alberta, the Métis Nation of Ontario and MN-S effectively stalled the legislation. MN-S pulled its support for the bill in April 2024, citing concerns with a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
MN-S then withdrew from the Métis National Council in September 2024.
The bill died after Parliament was dissolved in early 2025.
Jacinthe Goulet, a spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous Relations, said in a statement the department is working separately with each Métis government on “the next steps to advance their visions of self-determination and self-government.”
Need for Ottawa office questioned
Jennifer Laewetz, a member of George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan who was previously a citizen of MN-S and whose children are citizens of MN-S, said the decision to open an office in Ottawa lacked transparency.
“I think there’s just far too much confusion around what the purpose of this actually is,” said Laewetz, who is also the founder of the political advisory firm Paskwaw Strategies.
Laewetz said she has been unable to find a resolution by the MN-S’s Provincial Métis Council related directly to the establishment of the Ottawa office.
Laewetz also said a virtual council meeting in January, which was livestreamed to YouTube, mentioned a lack of budget to hold in-person meetings for the council.
“If the Métis Nation [-Saskatchewan] is struggling to find a budget to hold in-person meetings for their own governance here locally, then I’m struggling … to understand the need for an office [in Ottawa],” she said.
“I think that if they want to advance that self government and their modern treaty, they really need to go back to the table and work with their citizens in Saskatchewan, where the heart of the governance started, and the heart of Métis Nation-Saskatchewan actually exists.”
The office is located in a busy tourist area near Parliament Hill. (Métis Nation-Saskatchewan)
Quintal said in a statement to CBC Indigenous that Le Magazaen was “established within MN-S’s approved operating budget and implemented through normal operational management.”
He added MN-S’s Provincial Métis Council approves annual budgets through resolutions, which are then approved by its Métis Nation Legislative Assembly.
Quintal said the comments made about funding at the January meeting were “made in the specific context of additional in‑person workshops or study sessions to support the work of the PMC, not regularly scheduled in‑person PMC meetings,” which are all balanced within the approved operating budget.