The Metis Betterment Act: History and Current Status. Background Paper No. 6.

This paper reviews the history and current status of the eight Metis settlements established in the 1940s for people of mixed white and Indian blood living traditional Indian lifestyles in Alberta. The Ewing Commission first reported in 1936 on the Metis people who were not allocated reserves as status Indians and did not have squatters' rights on crown lands, but received subsidies from the provincial government. The Metis Population Betterment Act of 1938 defined Metis, authorized lands for settlement, and provided for government jurisdiction and aid. In 1982 a Joint Metis-Government Committee made recommendations about land security and local government. The settlements currently have 3,823 inhabitants and are administered by Settlement Councils working cooperatively with members of the Metis Development Branch to administer a trust fund. The Alberta Federation of Metis Settlements Association and the Settlement Sooniyaw promote the communities' social and economic interests. A chart of settlement names, acreages, and population and an Alberta map showing Metis settlements are included. (LFL)