2025-2026 Highlight report: Métis

On this page

• Introduction
• Justice and policing reform
• Health and wellness
• Economic and housing security
• Language and culture preservation
• Progress toward transformational systemic change

Introduction

Métis survivors, families, organizations and communities have consistently emphasized that distinctions-based, self-determined approaches are essential to addressing the systemic factors contributing to violence and inequities as they are critical to effectively addressing the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S+). Weaving Miskotahâ: The Métis Nation's Journey to Ending Missing and Murdered Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ (PDF) affirms that meaningful and lasting change must be grounded in Métis governance, cultural identity, and community-defined solutions.

This highlight report outlines federal action in 2025–2026 that respond to Calls for Justice 17.1 to 17.29 and Calls for Miskotahâ, as identified in Métis Perspectives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and LGBTQ2S+ People (PDF). These actions focus on four priority areas:

• justice and policing reform
• health and wellness
• economic and housing security
• language and culture preservation

Together, these priority areas reflect Métis‑identified needs and show how federal investments, partnerships and distinctions-based program delivery are supporting both immediate safety longer-term systemic changes.

Justice and policing reform

The Calls for Miskotahâ and the Calls for Justice emphasize the need to transform justice and policing systems so that Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people are safe, supported, and treated with dignity. Reflecting Weaving Miskotahâ Thread 6 - Justice and Policing, this section outlines federal efforts to support Métis-led, community-based justice approaches that are culturally grounded and responsive to trauma and MMIWG2S+.

The Community-Based program, Civil and Family Mediation, delivered through the Indigenous Justice Program by Justice Canada, supports Indigenous-led mediation services that provide culturally grounded alternatives to mainstream court processes. These programs offer restorative approaches such as healing circles, family conferencing, and civil or family mediation, to provide more culturally grounded services for family and civil conflicts. In 2025–2026, the program continued to support 34 civil and family mediation projects across the country. By supporting culturally responsive conflict resolution and helping families address disputes, the program responds to both Calls for Justice 1.8, 5.11 and Calls for Miskotahâ 19, 20 and their emphasis on Indigenous-led justice solutions, and culturally relevant services for Métis people involved in the justice system and community-based supports that address trauma, family conflict, and violence prevention.

Indigenous Justice Program Community-Based Justice Fund, led by Justice Canada, continues to strengthen Métis-led justice initiatives across Canada by funding community programs that provide restorative justice and reintegration services. In 2025–2026, $728,687 was allocated to Métis projects. These initiatives draw on Métis legal traditions and focus on healing, helping to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in custody. This work addresses Call for Miskotahâ 41, which calls for the elimination of overrepresentation of Métis people in the criminal justice system and ensures culturally relevant supports for offenders and victims. This work also responds to Calls for Justice 1.8, 5.6, 5.11, 5.16, and 17.27 by supporting trauma-informed services, community-based justice models, and culturally grounded alternatives to incarceration that address the systemic factors contributing to violence against Métis women and girls.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police delivered a number of initiatives aimed at modernizing police services and improving relationships with Indigenous people. The Métis Liaison Officers program funded four full-time positions to support, build, and strengthen relationships with Métis communities by recognizing and protecting Métis customs and traditions and advances Calls for Justice 9.2 and 9.3. Through the Path of Reconciliation, which advances Calls for Justice 9.1 and 9.3, the national rollout of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Indigenous Community Outreach and Engagement Tool is underway. This tool will track non-operational, non-investigative interactions with Indigenous communities, and will establish a national baseline of qualitative and quantitative data to support reporting on outreach and engagement activities.

Justice Canada advanced several initiatives that strengthen and improve access to culturally safe victim services for Métis victims and survivors of crime. Throughout 2025-2026, the Family Information Liaison Units Program across Canada continued to assist families in learning more about their missing or murdered loved ones from multiple government sources and connecting family members to services and supports. The Community Support and Healing for Families initiative, also led by Justice Canada, supported two Métis projects which enabled Métis governments, organizations and agencies to design and deliver programs and initiatives that assist Métis families of missing or murdered loved ones with the grief and trauma of their loss. Through the Supporting Indigenous Victims of Crime initiative, Justice Canada has also increased access to Métis-led, culturally safe, and survivor-centred victim services at the community level, while reinforcing partnerships among Métis organizations, governments, and justice agencies to reduce the harms Métis victims and survivors experience within the criminal justice system.

Health and wellness

Métis communities understand health and wellness as holistic, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and cultural well-being. The Calls for Miskotahâ and the Calls for Justice emphasize health and wellness as human rights and that Métis must have access to culturally safe, trauma-informed, and Métis-led health and wellness services that respond to Métis-identified needs and priorities. These priorities also align with Threads 3 and 5 of Weaving Miskotahâ, which call for holistic distinctions-based wellness approaches. Federal investments in Métis health and wellness reflect the government's continued commitment to address systemic racism, improve access to equitable, culturally safe care, and support healing for Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Led by Indigenous Services Canada, the Addressing Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canada's Health Systems initiative continues to support Métis-led and community-informed projects that promote and strengthen cultural and patient safety, expand access to culturally relevant healthcare, and increase Métis representation in the health workforce. Funded activities include health system navigators, patient advocates, culturally safe training for providers, and education pathways for Indigenous learners. This work responds to Calls for Miskotahâ 6 and 19 and Calls for Justice 1.8, 3.2, 3.4, 7.4, 7.6, 7.7, and 17.7 that identify systemic racism as a critical barrier to equitable healthcare and demand meaningful, Métis-led reform. In 2025-2026, Indigenous Services Canada invested in Métis-led projects, including:

• Métis Nation of Ontario to hire and retain full time supports to develop health system partnerships, train staff on various elements of palliative care, improve staff training to improve client outcomes, and provide information and workshops to Métis Nation of Ontario community members on health topics
• Manitoba Métis Federation to retain staff and providing continuing education for staff to obtain and maintain patient care navigator competencies
• Métis Nation Saskatchewan for the development of a Métis midwifery education and training program
• Métis Nation of Alberta to provide wraparound supports for expectant Métis families in Alberta provided and coordinated by Aunties

Supported by funding from Health Canada, the National Circle for Indigenous Medical Education continues to promote Métis-led reform in medical education and embedding cultural safety, anti-racism, and Métis health competencies into physician training. This work responds to Calls for Miskotahâ 56, 57, and 58 which call for medical and nursing schools to incorporate Métis health needs, history, and rights into their curricula. By strengthening trauma-informed care, addressing systemic racism in healthcare, and recognizing Métis health as a human right, this work also responds to Call for Justice 7.1, 7.7, and 7.8. The National Circle for Indigenous Medical Education contributes to the systemic transformation of medical education and delivery of high-quality healthcare that is better equipped to service Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ patients with respect and understanding.

Health Canada's Emergency Treatment Fund supports culturally grounded, trauma-informed, and evidence-based substance use and mental wellness projects led by Métis communities. As of March 31, 2026, a total of 4 Métis-led projects have received over $2 million in funding. This work responds to Call for Justice 3.2 by supporting urgent community-identified needs related to the overdose crisis and systemic inequities. Funded projects include:

• Métis Nation of British Columbia received $1,021,000 for Moonchikanihtaahk aen paykiiwayhk (Homecoming) - Métis Substance Use and Addictions Support Program to provide culturally grounded harm reduction and wellness services to 2,000 Métis individuals across six cities in British Columbia, offering peer support, harm reduction education, and culturally specific guidance to strengthen Métis identity, resilience, and wellness
• Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement received $350,955 for Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement Overdose Emergency Response Initiative to establish a culturally grounded, community-led substance use response framework in Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement, to address opioid-related overdoses and fatalities, providing locally accessible addiction and mental health services, including naloxone distribution and training, counseling, support groups, educational resources, a mobile health unit, and a public awareness campaign to reduce stigma

Access to sexual and reproductive health services for Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals is also being advanced through Health Canada's Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund. These investments supported community-based initiatives to improve access to abortion care, family planning, gender-affirming care, and fertility services. This Fund advances Calls for Justice 3.1, and 3.2.

As outlined in the Calls for Miskotahâ 53 and the Calls for Justice 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.7, 7.2, 7.3, and 17.4, mental health and wellness also remain a priority for Métis communities. Indigenous Services Canada's Mental Wellness Program provides funding for community-based mental health services, crisis supports, and trauma-informed cultural and emotional assistance for Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors of colonial sources of trauma, and supports Métis individuals impacted by violence and systemic harm. The program also offers funding for community-based Cultural and Emotional Support Workers and mobile Mental Wellness Teams, and flexible funding to ensure programming aligns with the communities' unique cultural and language priorities and needs.

The 2024-2027 National Suicide Prevention Action Plan, led by the Public Health Agency of Canada, strengthens collaboration across jurisdictions while recognizing Métis rights to self-determination. The establishment of a Suicide Prevention Science Advisory Table that seeks to include Métis experts will ensure that Métis knowledge, lived experience, representation and distinction-based approaches inform suicide prevention and life promotion strategies, which emphasizes representation and distinction-based approaches. By embedding Métis self-determination, representation, and distinction-based expertise into national suicide prevention and life promotion strategies, this strategy addresses both Calls for Miskotahâ 20 and 57, and Call for Justice 7.1.

Economic and housing security

Reflecting Threads 4 and 5 of Weaving Miskotahâ, the federal government continues to advance distinctions-based approaches to economic and housing security for Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. These efforts are supported through several initiatives that align with the Calls for Miskotahâ and the Calls for Justice, recognizing that economic stability, housing access, and culturally grounded supports are fundamental determinants of safety, well‑being, and long-term resilience.

The Northern Indigenous Economic Opportunities Program, delivered by the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, enhances participation of Métis communities and businesses in the territorial economies through investments that promote entrepreneurship, improve access to capital, support workforce participation, and strengthen economic research. This work aligns with Call for Miskotahâ 23 and Call for Justice 4.2. Complementary programming under Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency's Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North provides further investments in infrastructure development, sector growth, and capacity building to diversify northern economies. These programs advance economic self-determination and resilience by supporting Indigenous-owned businesses and reducing reliance on external economic drivers as set out in Call for Miskotahâ 23 and Call for Justice 4.2. By strengthening local economic ecosystems and creating employment and income opportunities, these investments support the goals of the Calls for Miskotahâ and the Calls for Justice related to economic security, community well-being, and the long-term safety and prosperity of Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

The National Housing Strategy continued to address the unique needs of Indigenous peoples through an approach to housing that invests to reduce chronic housing crises, overcrowding, substandard housing, and address a lack of essential services, among other barriers that have historically marginalized Indigenous populations. Programs led by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in the National Housing Strategy further strengthen housing security in Métis communities through long-term investments to improve housing affordability and stability. Programs such as the Affordable Housing Fund, and Rapid Housing Initiative support the construction and repair of Métis-led shelters, transitional housing projects, and other community-driven housing solutions. These investments reflect Calls for Miskotahâ 23 and 25 by prioritizing safe housing, transitional supports, and Métis-led interventions that reflect community knowledge and cultural and social realities. The National Housing Strategy also responds to Calls for Justice 4.1, 4.6, 4.7, 12,4, and 17.20 by supporting Métis self-determination in housing policy. Access to stable, culturally appropriate housing contributes to the safety, dignity, and long-term well-being of Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

As part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy and the National Housing Strategy, the $723.1 million Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative is delivered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation with the support of ISC and serves as a critical response to the need for safe and culturally informed shelters and housing for Métis women, children, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals fleeing gender-based violence. Overall, $420 million in program dollars has been allocated for the construction of shelters and transitional homes through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. As of December 31, 2025, approximately $396 million has been committed toward 38 new shelters and 42 transitional homes, and funds had been used to ensure Indigenous women, children and 2SLGBTQI+ people have access to these essential supports and services. In 2025-2026, the initiative supported nine Métis-specific projects, located in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as well as in the urban centre of Winnipeg.

These facilities provide immediate safety while supporting healing and long-term stability through culturally grounded services delivered by Indigenous organizations and communities. Indigenous Services Canada allocated a further $34.9 million in 2025–2026 for Métis-specific housing through the federal Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy. These investments support culturally grounded service delivery and expanded safe shelter options, and align with Calls for Miskotahâ 23 and 25, and Calls for Justice 1.8, 3.1, 3.4, 4.1, 4.7, 7.3, and 17.20, focused on accessible shelter and housing, key measures to prevent violence against Indigenous women and gender-diverse people.

Complementing these housing initiatives, Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, led by Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, provides funding to prevent and reduce homelessness through community-based responses across Canada. Through the Distinctions-based Approaches stream, Métis organizations received $10.6 million in 2025–2026 to support individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. By addressing housing instability through culturally grounded supports, Reaching Home contributes to several Calls for Miskotahâ 8, 18, 23, 25 and 26 and Calls for Justice 4.1, 4.7, and 12.4, related to coordinated responses to homelessness, improved access to safe housing, and community-driven Métis-led supports.

Similarly, the Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy, builds on this work by reducing disparities in housing conditions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous households in urban, rural, and northern regions and by supporting Indigenous-led housing solutions that are culturally relevant and community driven. Distinctions-based funding for Métis partners is delivered by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. This strategy responds to Calls for Miskotahâ 19, 23 and 25, and Call for Justice 17.20 through direct partnerships with Métis organizations. By embedding wraparound services and supports, the strategy ensures that individuals and families benefit from holistic housing solutions that are culturally relevant, and grounded in Métis knowledge and priorities.

Language and culture preservation

The Calls for Miskotahâ and the Calls for Justice emphasize the importance of supporting Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in restoring, revitalizing, and sustaining their culture, language and identity.

In 2025–2026, Canadian Heritage supported the implementation of the Indigenous Languages Act, through investments under the Indigenous Languages Program. As part of 5-year agreements totaling $61.4 million, approximately $11.4 million was allocated to the Métis Nations British Columbia, Otipemisiwak Métis Government, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, Manitoba Métis Federation, and Métis Nation of Ontario. These investments support the development of language resources, delivery of language instruction, organizational capacity building, and regional and local language planning. By enabling community-driven reclaiming and revitalization of Michif and other Métis languages, these initiatives align with Thread 3 of Weaving Miskotahâ and Calls for Justice 2.2, 2.3, and 2.4, advancing cultural revitalization, community healing, and Métis-led approaches to restore identity and improve the well-being of Métis women and communities.

Through the Museums Assistance Program – Indigenous Heritage Component, Canadian Heritage continues to support projects that preserve, manage and present Indigenous cultural heritage. For example, the Métis Provincial Council of British Columbia received $70,000 for the Decolonizing Point Ellice House Project, which is revising the museum's narratives to reflect Métis perspectives. Through community engagement, archival research, and the development of display panels, audio guides, and guided tour materials in English and French, the project ensures Métis histories and knowledge are accurately and meaningfully represented in cultural spaces. This aligns with Métis-identified priorities under the Thread 3 of Weaving Miskotahâ and Calls for Justice 2.1, 2.5, and 2.7 by strengthening cultural identity and challenging colonial narratives.

Canadian Heritage is also supporting Métis storytelling through screen-based media. The Indigenous Screen Office program continued to provide funding for audiovisual projects that amplify Métis voices. In 2025–2026, $17,000 was allocated to Our Storytellers Media Inc Our Storytellers Podcast, a series which preserves and celebrates Métis oral history. Guided by Elders, knowledge keepers, artists, and community members, the podcast weaves cultural teachings, lived experiences, and contemporary realities into compelling narratives. By supporting Métis stories and strengthening intergenerational knowledge transfer, this initiative directly supports cultural revitalization recommendation sets out in Calls for Justice 2.7 and 6.1.

The Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care initiative, led by Employment and Social Development Canada continues to invest in early childhood education projects that honour Métis culture, language, traditions, values and customs. The initiative's Quality Improvement Projects funding component reflects Calls for Miskotahâ 18, 21 and 23, and Calls for Justice 2.3, 3.1, 17.7, and 17.26 to ensures that Métis children experience their languages, culture, and traditions from the earliest stages of development, strengthening cultural pride, fluency, and long-term sustainability. Examples of projects funded in 2025–2026 include:

• Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak received $546,940 for Enriching Métis Early Learners and Creating Métis-Specific Early Learning Tools, to develop accessible and high quality culturally-relevant and tools and resources for Métis early learners and Indigenous early learning and child care staff
• Gift Lake Métis Settlement Association received $354,149 for Gift Lake Aboriginal Head Start Improvement Initiative, supporting new Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care programming, including the establishment of language nests, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics learning, culturally sensitive learning environments, and expanded land-based learning initiatives

Progress toward transformational systemic change

The initiatives outlined this report demonstrate continued federal progress toward implementing the priorities identified in the Weaving Miskotahâ Threads, Calls for Miskotahâ and the Calls for Justice. Longer-term initiatives, including the Indigenous Justice Strategy, support systemic transformation by embedding distinctions-based approaches in federal policy and deepening collaboration with Métis partners. By recognizing Métis legal traditions, advancing self-determination, and addressing systemic discrimination and overrepresentation in custody, these efforts align with the Calls for Miskotahâ and the Calls for Justice while fostering a more culturally responsive justice system.

Across health systems, initiatives are supporting structural change by addressing anti-Indigenous racism, reforming provider training, increasing Métis representation, and expanding access to culturally safe, trauma-informed care. Distinctions-based approaches and Métis-led wellness models reinforce health as a human right and advance shared reform goals.

Investments in housing and economic development strengthen Métis leadership and governance by embedding Métis knowledge and priorities into policy. This approach addresses root causes of housing insecurity and violence while supporting sustainable, culturally grounded housing and economic opportunities for future generations.

Distinctions-based funding also advances language revitalization and cultural preservation by enabling Métis communities to lead long-term strategies. Métis-led frameworks, strengthened cultural capacity, and expanded access to Michif are building the foundation for language survival, identity, and belonging, supporting lasting change in line with the Weaving Miskotahâ Threads, Calls for Miskotahâ and the Calls for Justice. Through continued partnership, investment, and accountability, these efforts contribute to the broader goal of addressing the root causes of violence and advancing lasting safety, well-being, and self-determination for Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.