“It’s creating a group in this country, I’m just going to be open about it, pretendians, that don\u2019t know who they are because the government ends up saying you don\u2019t belong to that band, when in fact many of them do,” said Woodhouse Nepinak.<\/p>\n
“And you’re creating this big group of M\u00e9tis people across this country that probably have First Nations roots and are not some new group that are being created in this country. I know that they\u2019re uncomfortable conversations but they\u2019re the truth. I mean First Nations were the only group, along with the Inuit, in this country to begin with.” <\/p>\n
Then at a media scrum, she said regarding Bill S-2, “There’s a lot of confused people out there who are claiming to be Indigenous, a lot of pretendians, and then a whole group of everybody else who says, you know, ‘I’m M\u00e9tis.'”<\/p>\n
“And yet a lot of them like, you know, well can you trace yourself back to a First Nation? And those are hard discussions to have, but they’re necessary because they’re creating these issues of the depletion of fish because all these people are just using cards to fish and hunt, and it’s really sad. I come from a place where we don’t even have much moose anymore because of it. And they’re uncomfortable, but they’re absolutely necessary.” <\/p>\n
Woodhouse Nepinak did not respond to a request for clarity about her remarks by time of publishing.<\/p>\n
In a statement Tuesday, Manitoba M\u00e9tis Federation President David Chartrand said his government had viewed the meeting positively and wished First Nations success.<\/p>\n
“Instead of appreciating our support and well wishes, National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak chose to waste her public platform in creating false narratives about the Red River M\u00e9tis, instead of advancing the First Nations agenda,” said Chartrand in the statement.<\/p>\n
![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793318530_349_default.jpg\")
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Manitoba M\u00e9tis Federation President David Chartrand says the Assembly of First Nations national chief chose to ‘waste her public platform’ on Monday to create false narratives about M\u00e9tis people. (Jeff Stapleton\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Chartrand said in the statement that the identity, existence and history of Red River M\u00e9tis are “not up for debate nor are they up for dismissal by any other Indigenous group in this country, especially a non-rights holding organization.” <\/p>\n
“We are saddened by National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak’s uninformed views, but there can be no doubt that I will not stand by and let anyone abuse the Red River M\u00e9tis or dismiss our existence.”<\/p>\n
In a statement Tuesday, Andrea Sandmaier, president of Otipemisiwak M\u00e9tis Government which represents 78,000 M\u00e9tis in Alberta, said she recognized injustices First Nations endured and she stood with First Nations in efforts to reclaim rights and determine their own citizenship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“But the recognition of First Nations rights must never come at the expense of M\u00e9tis rights,” the statement said.<\/p>\n
“Our histories are intertwined, but our identities are distinct. We are not ‘some new group’ and we most certainly are not confused about who we are.”<\/p>\n
M\u00e9tis Nation-Saskatchewan President Glen McCallum, in a statement Tuesday, said he respected First Nations’ rights to pursue their own path forward, and M\u00e9tis people will look to do the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Glen McCallum is president of the M\u00e9tis Nation-Saskatchewan. (Alexander Quon\/CBC News)<\/p>\n
“M\u00e9tis people are rights holders under Section 35 of the Constitution, alongside First Nations and Inuit. No government or national organization defines who we are,” McCallum’s statement said.<\/p>\n
“Our identity is rooted in our own history, culture, values, language and nationhood, and our self-government work builds a M\u00e9tis government by M\u00e9tis people, for M\u00e9tis people.”<\/p>\n
The M\u00e9tis Nation of British Columbia, which represents roughly 113,000 M\u00e9tis people in British Columbia, also called on the national chief to retract her statement and to “engage in dialogue with M\u00e9tis leadership to encourage mutual respect and understanding.” <\/p>\n
“We have a shared story with First Nations and Inuit peoples, together we have suffered greatly. Let us not demean each other but rather hold each other up and hold Canada to account to make life better for all our peoples,” the statement said.\u00a0<\/p>\n