Founding Fathers

Our founding fathers, known as the “Métis Famous Five” were:

  • Joe Dion, president,
  • Malcolm Norris, vice president
  • Felix Callihoo, vice president
  • Pete Tomkins, vice president, and
  • James Brady, secretary treasurer

Ewing Commission

Joe Dion, Malcolm Norris, and Adrian Hope, as well as other Métis leaders, successfully lobbied the provincial government, and in 1934, the Ewing Commission was formed to investigate Métis health, education, homelessness, and land issues.

After a two-year investigation, the Commission recommended the province provide Métis with a secure land base and adequate services. In 1938, one of the MAA’s visions came to be when the Alberta government enacted the Métis Betterment Act, leading to the creation of 12 Métis Settlements (today 8), and the first and only secure land base for Métis in all of Canada.