Métis Nation Relationship Accord

At the First Ministers' Meeting on Aboriginal Issues in Kelowna on November 25, 2005, First Ministers committed to strengthening relationships with Aboriginal people based on the principles of mutual respect, recognition and reconciliation of Aboriginal rights, and to collaboratively working with Aboriginal people to close the gap in the quality of life of Aboriginal people in Canada compared to other Canadians.

The Métis Nation British Columbia concurred with those commitments and agreed to work with the Province of British Columbia in order to achieve results on a number of fronts including, but not limited to, relationships, education, housing, health and economic opportunities.

On May 12, 2006, the Province and the Métis Nation British Columbia signed the Métis Nation Relationship Accord which identified the following objectives:

• Strengthen existing relationships based on mutual respect, responsibility and sharing.
• Improve engagement, coordination, information sharing and collaboration.
• Follow through on intentions and commitments of the First Ministers' Meeting on Aboriginal issues as they pertain to Métis people and their aspirations to close the gap in the quality of life between Métis people and other British Columbians.

A preliminary list of subjects for the Métis Nation Relationship Accord process includes:

• Collaborative renewal of the Métis tripartite processes
• Métis identification and data collection
• Health (community, family, individual)
• Housing
• Education (lifelong learning)
• Economic opportunities