The MMF aims to combat the “cultural theft” of indigenous peoples

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The Manitoba Métis Federation says Indigenous identity theft is rampant in Canada and needs to be tackled as “cultural thieves” seek to use fake Indigenous identities for their own personal gain.

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“We can no longer allow cultural thieves and identity colonizers to get away with harming our peoples,” MMF President David Chartrand said in a Thursday press release.

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The MMF announced Thursday that they will join Ontario Chiefs (COOs) in co-hosting an “Identity Summit” in Winnipeg next month aimed at “combating the identity theft of many Indigenous peoples in Canada today.”

The summit will include expert panelists who will discuss the “truly national scale” of collective identity fraud for Indigenous peoples and options for combating it and building a coordinated response.

“Our Red River Métis, First Nation and Inuit peoples' warnings about identity theft are at the forefront of this country and it's time for Canada to crack down on these scammers,” Chartrand said.

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A 2022 report from the University of Saskatchewan used the term “Indigenous identity fraudsters” to describe “those who falsely claim to be Indigenous people, usually for personal financial gain,” and the report says the problem is growing in Canada as people look for opportunities. claiming false aboriginal identities.

“Several notable events of this 'reversal' have been documented in the press recently,” the study said.

“Unfortunately, Indigenous identity fraud is common, and the number of people passing as Indigenous in Canada now numbers in the tens of thousands.

“These lives and careers were taken at the expense of real indigenous peoples.”

The report says Indigenous identity theft is a growing problem at Canadian universities, which often rely on self-identification, which can lead to false claims of Indigenous ancestry by both students and faculty.

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“Universities did not expect and were not prepared to try to take advantage of opportunities created for indigenous peoples,” the report said. “There was a general failure to recognize fraudsters and not knowing how to identify indigenous peoples.”

Article 8 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) states that indigenous peoples have the right not to suffer the destruction of their culture, and Chartrand MMF argues that identity fraud “erases that right.”

“It further requires Canada to provide effective means to prevent and remedy any action that has the purpose or effect of depriving Indigenous Peoples of their integrity as distinct peoples or of their cultural values ​​or ethnic identities,” Chartrand said.

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“Fundamentally, identity fraud affects the integrity of all indigenous peoples as distinct peoples. This problem should be solved not only by the legal indigenous rights holders, but also by the state and other institutions.

The COO is an advocacy group that represents and supports First Nations communities in Ontario, and regional chief Glen Hare says the upcoming summit will be “historic.”

“We look forward to this historic event together with the Manitoba Métis Federation to address the issues facing legal rights holders in all regions,” Hare said.

The summit will be held in Winnipeg on May 14 and 15.

— Dave Baxter is a local journalism initiative reporter based out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Indigenous Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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