Grade by Grade
B. People and Environments: The Role of Government and Responsible Citizenship · Government and Citizenship

First Nations, Métis and Inuit Governments Today

B3.3 B3.2About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can describe some First Nations, Métis and Inuit governance structures that exist in Canada today.
  • I can explain what self-government means.
  • I can give examples of local, regional and national Indigenous organizations.
  • I can explain why First Nations, Métis and Inuit governments are different from one another.

Words to know

governance
The way a group makes decisions, chooses leaders and makes rules.
self-government
When a people govern themselves and make their own laws about their own affairs.
traditional governance
Ways of governing that a nation has used for a very long time, before the Indian Act, often still used today.
Haudenosaunee Confederacy
A union of six nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora) with a Grand Council of chiefs.
Métis Nation of Ontario
The organization that represents Métis citizens and communities in Ontario, with elected councils.
Inuit Nunangat
The Inuit homeland in Canada, made of four regions.

Many nations, many governments

Canada is home to more than 600 First Nations, as well as the Métis Nation and Inuit. Each has its own history, culture, and ways of making decisions.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit governed themselves long before Canada existed, and they still do today. In this lesson you will see that there is no single "Indigenous government". There are many different kinds, from community councils to national organizations.

Remember from Grade 3 and the last lesson

In Grade 3 you learned that each First Nation in Ontario has its own government, usually called chief and council, which provides services like a school and a health centre. Last lesson you learned that band councils were set up under the federal Indian Act. Now we will look at other kinds of Indigenous governance too.

First Nations governance

  • Band councils (chief and council) govern many First Nations communities.
  • Traditional governments. Many nations keep their own traditional ways. For example, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy has a Grand Council of chiefs. In Haudenosaunee tradition, clan mothers choose the chiefs. At Six Nations of the Grand River, near Brantford, there is a traditional Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council and also an elected council, which the Canadian government imposed in 1924. Some other nations have hereditary chiefs, chosen through their own traditions.
  • Self-government agreements. Some First Nations have signed agreements with Canada (and the province or territory) that recognize their power to make their own laws about things like education, lands and culture. For example, the Nisga'a Nation in British Columbia has its own government, the Nisga'a Lisims Government, under a treaty that took effect in 2000. Many Yukon First Nations are self-governing too.
  • Organizations that work together. First Nations join together to speak with a stronger voice. The Assembly of First Nations represents First Nations across Canada. In Ontario, the Chiefs of Ontario brings First Nations together, and regional groups such as the Anishinabek Nation and Nishnawbe Aski Nation (in northern Ontario) represent their member First Nations.
1920193019401950196019701980199020002010elected council imposedat Six NationsNunavut becomesa territoryNisga'a treatytakes effectNunatsiavutGovernment formed
Some dates from this lesson on a timeline (to scale): an elected council imposed at Six Nations in 1924; Nunavut in 1999; the Nisga'a treaty in 2000; the Nunatsiavut Government in 2005.

Métis governance

The Métis are a distinct Indigenous people with their own history, culture and language (Michif).

  • In Ontario, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) has an elected council (the Provisional Council) chosen by Métis citizens, and local community councils across the province.
  • The Métis National Council represents the Métis Nation at the national level.
  • In Alberta, there are eight Métis Settlements, Métis communities with their own lands and elected councils.

Inuit governance

Most Inuit in Canada live in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland. It has four regions:

  • the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (in the Northwest Territories and Yukon)
  • Nunavut
  • Nunavik (in northern Quebec)
  • Nunatsiavut (in Labrador)

Each region has an Inuit organization or government, created through a land claim agreement. For example, the Nunatsiavut Government is an Inuit self-government in Labrador, formed in 2005. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is the national organization that represents Inuit across Canada.

Nunavut is a special case: it became a territory in 1999 as part of a land claim agreement. Its territorial government is a public government for everyone who lives there, but most Nunavummiut (people of Nunavut) are Inuit, and its laws and services reflect Inuit values and the Inuktut language.

Rocky Arctic tundra with low green and red plants beside a calm bay, with colourful houses along the far shore.
A summer view of the Arctic, where many Inuit communities are found. Each region of Inuit Nunangat has its own Inuit organization or government. AI-generated image
GroupSome governance structures today
First NationsBand councils (chief and council); traditional governments like the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Grand Council; hereditary chiefs; self-governments like the Nisga'a Lisims Government; organizations like the Assembly of First Nations and Chiefs of Ontario
MétisMétis Nation of Ontario (Provisional Council and community councils); Métis National Council; Métis Settlements councils in Alberta
InuitNunatsiavut Government; regional Inuit organizations in the four regions of Inuit Nunangat; Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (national)
Examples of First Nations, Métis and Inuit governance today. These are only some examples.

Talking about Indigenous governments respectfully

  • Use the name a nation uses for itself, like Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe or Nisga'a.
  • Remember First Nations, Métis and Inuit are three different peoples, and each First Nation is different too.
  • These governments are real and working today: they run schools, manage lands, sign agreements and meet with other governments.
  • Canada recognizes that Indigenous peoples have an inherent right of self-government. Inherent means it comes from being the first peoples here, not from a gift by Canada.
Worked example

Let's sort governance structures

Sort these into First Nations, Métis or Inuit: (a) Nunatsiavut Government, (b) Haudenosaunee Confederacy Grand Council, (c) Métis Nation of Ontario community council, (d) Assembly of First Nations, (e) Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

  1. Look for clue words: Nunatsiavut is an Inuit region in Labrador, so (a) is Inuit.
  2. The Haudenosaunee are First Nations, so (b) is First Nations.
  3. (c) says Métis in its name: Métis.
  4. (d) is the Assembly of First Nations: First Nations.
  5. Inuit is in the name of (e): Inuit.

First Nations: (b), (d). Métis: (c). Inuit: (a), (e).

Worked example

Let's compare local, regional and national

Put these in order from the most local to the most national: Chiefs of Ontario, the band council of one First Nation, the Assembly of First Nations.

  1. A band council governs one community: the most local.
  2. The Chiefs of Ontario brings together First Nations in one province: regional.
  3. The Assembly of First Nations represents First Nations across Canada: national.

Band council → Chiefs of Ontario → Assembly of First Nations.

band councilone communityChiefs of Ontarioone province (regional)Assembly of First Nationsall of Canada (national)widermorelocal
From local to national: a band council governs one community, the Chiefs of Ontario brings together First Nations in one province, and the Assembly of First Nations works across Canada.
Did you know?

Word detective: in Inuktitut, the name Nunavut means "our land". Many place names across Canada come from Indigenous languages, so a map is full of hidden meanings!

Hands-on activity

Make a governance fact card

With a grown-up, find the official website of a First Nation, Métis council or Inuit organization near you or that you are curious about (for example, your local First Nation, the Métis Nation of Ontario, or the Nunatsiavut Government).

On an index card, write:

  1. The name of the nation or organization, in its own words.
  2. Who leads it (by title, such as Chief, President, Grand Chief) and how leaders are chosen, if the site says.
  3. Two things it is responsible for or works on.
  4. One new word you learned, and what it means.

What to look for: facts come from the nation's own website, and the card uses the name the nation uses for itself.

Your turn

1

Name the three groups of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

2

What is self-government?

3

Which national organization represents First Nations across Canada?

4

Which organization represents Métis people in Ontario?

5

What is Inuit Nunangat?

6

In Haudenosaunee tradition, who chooses the chiefs?

More practice: warm-up

1

In what year did Nunavut become a territory?

2

Which national organization represents Inuit across Canada?

3

Where is the Nunatsiavut Government?

4

How many nations are in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy?

5

True or false: all First Nations use the same kind of government.

More practice: on your own

1

Six Nations of the Grand River has two councils. Name them and explain where each came from.

2

Why do First Nations form organizations like the Chiefs of Ontario or the Assembly of First Nations?

3

Nunavut's government is a public government, not an Inuit-only government. How does it still reflect Inuit?

4

Name the four regions of Inuit Nunangat.

5

What does it mean that the right of self-government is inherent?

Challenge

1

A classmate says, "Indigenous government just means a band council." Explain why this is not complete, with two examples.

2

Why might a First Nation want a self-government agreement instead of following the Indian Act?

3

How is the Métis Nation of Ontario like a provincial government, and how is it different?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a traditional First Nations government?

2.

Which organization represents Inuit across Canada?

3.

What does self-government mean?

4.

Where is the Nunatsiavut Government?

5.

Which has elected councils for Métis communities in Alberta?

6.

Which statement is true?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: First Nations, Métis and Inuit govern themselves today in many ways: band councils, traditional governments, self-government agreements, Métis councils, Inuit regional governments, and regional and national organizations.

How to help at home:

  • Find out whose traditional territory you live on and whether a First Nation or Métis council is nearby. Visit its website together.
  • Notice news stories that mention Indigenous governments meeting or signing agreements with other governments.
  • Model respectful language: name specific nations, and use the present tense.

Common difficulties:

  • Thinking there is one Indigenous government. Stress variety.
  • Mixing up First Nations, Métis and Inuit. They are three distinct peoples.
  • Thinking of Indigenous governance as only historical. These governments are active now.

Note: Governance can be a sensitive topic in some communities (for example, where both elected and traditional councils exist). Present facts calmly and let communities' own websites speak for them.