Op-Ed from President Andrea Sandmaier: A Decade After Daniels, Métis Are Still Waiting for Full Inclusion
Posted on: Apr 15, 2026
Originally published on April 15 in the Hill Times.
Ten years ago, the Daniels v. Canada decision reshaped the foundations of reconciliation in the country.
For generations, we lived in a jurisdictional wasteland. The federal government said constitutional responsibility for Métis fell to the provinces. The provinces said it rested with the federal government.
Both acknowledged our existence, but we had no clarity on how to move forward.
With Daniels, the Supreme Court of Canada was unanimous and clear: “it is the federal government to whom we can turn.”
The result of over 150 years of jurisdictional games took its toll on our people and communities in Alberta. We were excluded from initiatives available to other Indigenous peoples and fell further behind. Our access to healthcare, education, housing programs, and social services were inconsistent at best.
Our families faced devastating consequences. Accessing primary healthcare available to others was often impossible because of where we lived and how we were treated. Education opportunities were out of reach. Housing insecurity was a constant.
But to understand how this happened and why Daniels mattered, we need to look further back to Canada’s origins.
Prior to Canada becoming Canada, Métis people established some of the first distinct, self-governing communities in western Canada. Métis families built trade networks, governed our own communities, and laid the groundwork for the Canada we know today.
We were a proud, distinct, and self-governing people, and Canada needed us as it expanded. Canada made promises to us in the Manitoba Act, 1870 and through the Métis Scrip System, but quickly broke those promises to us, after the Crown obtained what it needed.
While Canada benefited from these foundations, it then turned its back on us as new provinces were created. Despite promises made to us, we were pushed off our lands, forced to live in road allowances, and the country we helped to build denied us the benefits that this great country was built on.
This is why federal responsibility matters. It is not a matter of generosity. It is a matter of accountability and telling truths about this country’s history.
The Daniels decision was meant to begin correcting this sorry history. Instead of being treated as afterthoughts, we were to begin putting in place a relationship with the federal government based on recognition and reconciliation.
Through negotiations, self-government agreements, and distinctions-based funding,
we saw progress. Modern treaty relationships began to take shape. Targeted funding started to flow. Most importantly, our governments were finally recognized as such, and we became true partners in designing and delivering services to our own people.
Since Daniels, the Métis Nation within Alberta, through the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, has grown stronger and expanded programming that directly supports Citizens across Alberta.
In housing, programs have been developed to support Métis families in accessing safe and affordable homes.
In education and employment, our government has expanded supports that help Métis students succeed and transition into the workforce.
In health, Métis-led approaches are making a meaningful difference. Programs focused on mental health and wellness are helping people access care in ways that are culturally relevant – like at Healing Waters Recovery Community.
We are also investing in spaces that bring culture and wellness together. At Métis Crossing, our government has created a place for connection, learning, and healing.
But a decade later, our work is far from finished. We still have a long road ahead to fully realize the change that Daniels demands.
Today, the gaps made by colonial governments continue to be lived realities for our Citizens and communities.
And progress is fragile without sustained commitments and investment.
If the current federal government remains serious about reconciliation, we need to continue to build on what we have put in place.
We need ongoing, stable, and long-term investments in the Métis people that matches the scale of the need.
We also need Métis self-government modern day treaties that will ensure these commitments are in place for generations, not until the next change in government.
This is how we ensure no Métis person in Alberta ever falls between jurisdictional cracks again. It is how we will finally close the gaps in housing, education, health, and community supports.
Ten years after Daniels, we need to recommit to the groundwork we have laid. Canada’s responsibility and the pathway forward is clear.
President Andrea Sandmaier,
Otipemisiwak Métis Government