The mandate and objectives of the MNC are to:
Represent and promote the interests of the Metis people;
Restore Metis lands and resources for future generations;
Achieve full recognition of the Metis Nation and its jurisdiction within the Canadian federal system;
Pursue cooperative relations with other Canadian governments and peoples;
Promote progress and prosperity for Metis people in matters social, cultural, economic and political;
Achieve self-sufficiency for Metis people and institutions;
Maintain and promote individual rights of Metis people; and
Maintain the independence and integrity of the Metis Nation.
The Metis National Council is structured at the local, regional and national levels. It comprises five provincial organisations which include the Metis Provincial Council of British Columbia, the Metis Nation of Alberta, the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan, the Manitoba Metis Federation and the Metis Nation of Ontario. Each provincial association includes smaller regional councils composed of local community councils. The members of the provincial councils are elected representatives.
The MNC itself is governed by the National President and a Board of Governors composed of Presidents of the provincial associations. This group oversees the affairs of the MNC and is assisted in the task by a small permanent secretariat situated in Ottawa.
Some of the matters around which the MNC is presently developing initiatives include culture and heritage, economic development, health, homelessness, Michif language revival, youth, and disability issues. | |