As the national and international voice of the Métis Nation, the Métis National Council (MNC) continues to strongly condemn the epidemic of Indigenous identity fraud occurring across Canada and are disappointed in the attempts by the Manitoba Métis Federation to use this critical issue to further their own political agenda and cause further dissention within and across the Métis Nation.   
  
The Métis Nation has always been grounded in self-determination and respect for democracy. We are Otipemisiwak, the people who own ourselves. The MNC’s Governing Members are recognized, democratically elected, legitimate Métis Governments, representing S.35 Métis Citizens within their respective jurisdictions. Collectively, these Métis Governments represent the majority of the Métis Nation today.  
  
The Métis Governments that comprise the MNC maintain objectively verifiable Métis registries that use the definition of a Métis Citizen adopted by the MNC in 2002 and will continue in their efforts to protect the Métis Nation from false claims of Indigenous identity.  
 
In 2021, the MNC established the MNC Expert Panel, an independent, arms-length panel comprised of respected Métis academics who are engaging with the facts of history, our citizens, and communities. The Expert Panel will release a public report that will outline recommendations to the Métis Nation and its democratically elected leadership for their consideration. The MNC Expert Panel is the Métis Nation’s chosen pathway to address the relationship between the seven Ontario communities and the Métis Nation.   
  
The Métis National Council urges governments of all kinds, including other Indigenous Governments, to work in partnership with Métis Governments as rights-representing institutions to prevent ongoing Indigenous identity fraud.