Bill C-21 Red River Metis Treaty

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C-21 An Act to Give Effect to the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty and to Make Consequential Amendments to Other Acts

Short Title:  Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty Act

Bill Type:  House Government Bill

Bill Sponsor:  Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations MP Rebecca Alty

Status: At second reading in the House of Commons

Latest activity:  Debate at second reading on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 (House of Commons)

Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes

What Is This Bill For?

This Bill gives the force of Canadian Law to a Self-Government Treaty signed with the Red River Métis — the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) — on November 30, 2024. 

Until this Bill passes, the Treaty does not have the force of Canadian Law. Bill C‑21 approves the Treaty, gives it legal effect and makes it binding on all persons and bodies.

⚠️ Treaty Supersedes Conflicting Federal Law: Where the Treaty and Federal Law conflict, the Treaty wins to the extent of the conflict.

Once passed, it recognizes the Red River Métis as a Self-Governing Nation under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and gives their Laws legal standing in Canadian Courts. 

Where the Treaty and Federal Law conflict, the Treaty wins to the extent of the conflict — and once that hierarchy is established, future Parliaments cannot easily undo it without breaching constitutional obligations.

WHO GAINS POWER

  • The Manitoba Métis Federation gains recognized Self-Government authority — their Laws have legal force and courts must take judicial notice of them
  • The Treaty prevails over conflicting Federal Law to the extent of the conflict — including conflicting provisions in future Acts of Parliament
  • The MMF gains authority to make administrative decisions reviewable only after all internal MMF appeal processes are exhausted
  • Governor in Council gains authority to make regulations to implement the Treaty — but must give the MMF meaningful input in that process

WHO LOSES POWER

  • ⚠️ Parliament — the Treaty supersedes Federal Law; future Parliaments cannot easily override it without breaching constitutional obligations
  • ⚠️ Canadians seeking to challenge MMF administrative decisions must exhaust all MMF internal processes before accessing Federal Court
  • ⚠️ Federal Departments — The Access to Information Act and Privacy Act are amended to recognize the MMF as an Indigenous Government. This can limit disclosure of confidential information that Federal Departments receive from the MMF and allow certain information to be shared with the MMF for Government purposes.

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • ⚠️ Fiscal Terms Outside the Bill — The Tax Treatment Agreement is separate from the Treaty. Bill C‑21 approves the Agreement and gives it the force of Law while it is in effect. Its tax rules are not reproduced in this Bill and must be found in the separate Agreement.
  • ⚠️Future Funding Terms Undefined— This Bill establishes the MMF's standing to negotiate future funding and program delivery, but the amounts, terms and eligibility criteria are not in this Bill. Those details will be determined through future negotiations — without a Parliamentary vote on each one.

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • No direct spending is authorized in this Bill. Future funding will depend on Fiscal Agreements, program arrangements and Federal Appropriations. 
  • Bill C‑21 gives legal force to the Treaty and the separate Tax Treatment Agreement but does not state the total cost or future funding amounts.

    THE CATCH
  • The Treaty prevails over conflicting Federal Law to the extent of the conflict — including conflicting provisions in Laws passed after this Bill — creating a constitutional hierarchy that limits future Parliamentary flexibility
  • Red River Métis Laws are not subject to the Statutory Instruments Act — meaning they don't go through standard Federal regulatory review or publication requirements
  • Actions taken by the MMF before the Treaty came into force are retroactively deemed valid — Parliament is ratifying decisions it never reviewed
  • A coordinating Amendment links this Bill to Bill C-10 (Commissioner for Modern Treaty Implementation Act) — if C-10 passes, the Red River Métis are automatically added to its schedule without a separate vote