What does it take to be Métis in Saskatchewan?

The government that represents Métis citizens in Saskatchewan is reiterating that Indigenous self-identification is not enough and is encouraging eligible Métis people to apply to become official citizens through its provincial citizenship registry.

The call comes following CBC's investigation that found health scientist Carrie Bourassa's claims to Indigenous ancestry are spurious.

Bourassa is a University of Saskatchewan professor and the scientific director of the Indigenous health arm of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). She was put on leave from both institutions on Monday. 

Without offering any genealogical evidence, Bourassa claimed Métis and Anishinaabe heritage, and asserted that she's a descendant of the Tlingit, a small group of Indigenous people from the Yukon and British Columbia.

"To be able to have a solid foundation in regards to how we move forward as a Métis nation is very important," said Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) president Glen McCallum.

MN-S has had a constitutionally protected right to self-government since 2019, when it signed a self-government agreement with the federal government.

Its provincial citizenship registry was developed a decade earlier than that, in 2009. 

"In Saskatchewan, determining 'Who is a Métis Citizen' is the sole determination of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan and no one else," said McCallum in a statement last Thursday.

During a 2012 address to a House of Commons committee examining Métis identity, Bourassa acknowledged she didn't qualify for the registry.

MN-S requires people to have Métis citizenship registration in order to access any of the government's program-based benefits and services.

The process to prove you're Métis and get the citizenship card requires many documents and can take up to several months, according to MN–S registrar Tammy Vallee.

"I think people sometimes are a little intimidated about the process," Vallee said. "We really are here to help and we have gathered a lot of resources and partnerships over the last decade that can make the process really easy for people."

Applicants have to fill out a form that coincides with MN–S's four-part definition of who is a Métis person — with self-identification only being the first step.

"It's not enough to just self-declare to get your citizenship card," Vallee said.