An important aspect of safeguarding the future for Lac Ste. Anne Métis Community Association (LSAMCA) members is to ensure that we are directly involved any time government contemplates actions or decisions that may have a negative impact on our community’s rights.

Alberta’s Métis Credible Assertion process provides Métis organizations (other than Métis Settlements) with the opportunity to provide information according to specific criteria focused on demonstrating a credible assertion of Métis aboriginal rights. Upon making a successful credible assertion of these rights, the Alberta government commits to thereafter consult with that Métis organization on matters pertaining to natural resource development and the management and development of Crown lands.

On September 29, 2022, the Alberta Government announced that LSAMCA had been successful with its credible assertion application. In having sufficiently demonstrated a credible assertion of Métis aboriginal rights through the rigorous process set out by Alberta, LSAMCA has demonstrated that the Lac Ste. Anne Métis community it represents has roots in the identifiable, historic Lac Ste. Anne Métis community, self-identifies today as the contemporary Lac Ste. Anne Métis community, and that our contemporary community is a continuation of the historic community.

For Lac Ste. Anne Métis to be considered “historic”, we had to demonstrate that our community existed prior to the date of effective European control (considered by Alberta to be pre-1900 in Northern and Central Alberta), and that our community is distinct in terms of those practices, traditions, or customs that are significant to our culture. Furthermore, through the process of making a credible assertion of our Métis rights, LSAMCA has demonstrated that it is authorized by its members to represent the contemporary Lac Ste. Anne Métis community.

Being recognized through the process set out by the Alberta Government means that our community has greater autonomy in determining its own future. Knowing that our Lac Ste. Anne Métis rights and interests are now formally considered by the Province brings a new level of pride to our community, bolsters our ability to shape stewardship activities important to the continuation and practice of our culture, and opens the door to economic participation opportunities associated with development of the Province’s natural resources. In turn, this enhances our ability to sustainably provide key supports for LSAMCA members, including in areas such as education and training, children, youth and Elder programming, and housing.