Métis, province mark 80 years of relations

EDMONTON Eight decades of the official relations between Alberta’s Métis population and the provincial government were celebrated at the legislature building Monday.

With the help of fiddle reels courtesy of a group of Grade 4 students from Prince Charles Elementary, leaders from Alberta’s eight Métis settlements joined government officials to mark the 80th anniversary of the 1938 Métis Population Betterment Act.

“It certainly is a good day,” Métis Settlements General Council president Gerald Cunningham told the gathering.

The Métis Population Betterment Act is the only provincial Métis agreement of its kind in Canada. With more than 114,000 Métis people living in the province, Alberta is home to the largest Métis population in the country.