President’s Message
2021 certainly has been a year of stillness, but also one of great change, opportunity and brightness.
Here at Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak, we want to offer our sincerest congratulations to Cassidy Caron, the newly elected President of the Métis National Council and the first ever Métis woman to hold this title. LFMO has enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with President Caron over the years, and we are extremely honoured and proud to continue this relationship as she steps into her new role.
Last month, LFMO – along with Indigenous people and communities across our nation – gathered in person, online and in spirit to recognize both the National Day of Reconciliation on September 30 and the Sisters in Spirit Vigil on October 4 to honour the lives of those lost and those who have never come home. We are here, we are listening, and we will continue to make your voices and your stories heard.
We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming engagements,
Melanie Omeniho President,
Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak / Women of the Métis Nation
LFMO Congratulates Cassidy Caron, Newly Elected President of the Métis National Council
LFMO celebrates the election of Cassidy Caron to the position of Métis National Council President, marking the historic election of the first Métis Woman to ever be elected to the office of President of the Métis Nation.
Meet President Caron!
With roots in the Métis communities of Batoche and St. Louis, SK, President Caron has worked extensively in research and program initiatives by and for Indigenous peoples throughout Canada, extending from areas such as Indigenous justice and crime prevention, women’s safety and wellness, education, cultural safety through to Indigenous health and health promotion, reconciliation, youth programming, mental health, addictions and wellness, economic development, food security and Indigenous governance and beyond. President Caron’s goal has continually been to explore and utilize innovative approaches to community development and Nation building, which together promote effective collaboration and understanding between Indigenous peoples and all Canadians.
President Caron brings to her new role a vast and vibrant political career. She served a four-year term as a provincially-elected representative of the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) and as the Provincial Métis Youth Chair and MNBC’s Minister Responsible for Youth. Through her role with MNBC, President Caron supported the coordination, design, resourcing, implementation and evaluation of innovative and culturallygrounded engagement and leadership development opportunities for Métis youth within all levels of MNBC’s governance. Gaining valuable experience as an advocate for the Métis people working closely with cabinet ministers, senior officials and ministerial special representatives, President Caron also negotiated and designed Métis youth-specific funding provisions and policy considerations at the provincial and national levels.
President Caron is a passionate public speaker, talented facilitator and strong advocate. She works with the community at heart and is guided by her ancestors who led before her, while being mindful of the generations of leaders who will come behind her. She recognizes the power of bringing together individuals from all walks of life to work together in a spirit of collaboration and harmony, while respecting one another’s history, traditions, ways of knowing and being, to co-create a positive, healthy and beneficial pathway forward for all.
“I wholeheartedly applaud and congratulate Cassidy Caron on her election on November 30th. We have njoyed a longstanding relationship with President Caron through her close work with Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak. She has chaired our assemblies, served on our Métis Nation Working Group on MMIWG2S, and has led National Métis Youth work with LFMO. She is an amazing Métis Woman, and will serve the Métis Nation with a dynamic and innovative approach to leadership within our Nation.”
– Melanie Omeniho, LFMO President
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
On September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, LFMO staff took the day to reflect, to connect with community and family and to heal together. LFMO staff also took the time to reflect on what this day means to them. To all First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals and families who have been impacted by historic and current policies and programs such as the residential and day school systems and the Sixties Scoop. We see you and we hear you. You are strong, you are loved and we support you.
Sisters in Spirit
LFMO always stands in support with the families and communities who have known or been impacted by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ folks, but October 4 marks an important day, a day where we come together to honour our Sisters in Spirit.
Every October, families and communities across the country gather to honour our sisters we have lost and our sisters who have not yet come home. We stand alongside them to offer support, to educate the public and to commemorate the lives of our Indigenous sisters and 2SLGBTQQIA+ folks.
LFMO has been continually engaged in the development of a National Action Plan to end Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. On behalf of and through confirmation of the Métis governing members, we have been the file lead and this year released our own Métis-specific Action Plan, called Weaving Mishkotaha, highlighting the Métis-led work that is already underway and the steps we can take together in implementing the 62 Calls for Mishkotaha and the National Inquiry’s 231 Calls for Justice.
LFMO’s Youth Network
In August, LFMO held its first-ever Youth Network meeting. A Métis youth perspective is crucial in all of the work that we do, from Métis early learning and childcare to housing to health and beyond. Métis youth are also the leaders of tomorrow as well as today, and their wisdom and guidance is invaluable to all that we do.
Next month in November, we look forward to hosting our second meeting! Be sure to email info@metiswomen.org to join us.
“The first LFMO virtual Youth Network Gathering was empowering. It was so nice to connect with Cassidy Caron, Grandmother Linda and the many other wonderful Métis women who attended. Connecting with Métis women and Elders is something that I have been hoping to do more of, and LFMO’s youth engagement really helps make this happen, especially in our virtual world. Thank you for getting us together and look forward to meeting everyone again soon.”
– Meagan Peacosh
Project Updates
Introducing Mothers of the Land, Waters and Skies
Understanding the disproportionate & negative impacts that climate change has had on Indigenous people and especially Indigenous women is now being noticed by policy makers, and LFMO’s new Mothers of the Land, Waters and Skies project will explore these specific impacts on Métis women. From rising food insecurity to the adverse impacts on Métis women’s reproductive health to the disappearances of many land-based traditions and knowledges, our project aims to understand not only what these impacts are but also seeks to harvest these traditional, land-based knowledges and environmental stewardship practices to help Métis women fight climate change, reconnecting them and their communities with the natural environment. Stay tuned for an announcement!
Grandmother Ribbons
As the days grow shorter and colder, it’s more important now than before that we seek community, connection and healing. This is why we are continuing our Grandmother Ribbon campaign, to spread the word that there is indeed light at the end of COVID-19, when we will be able to gather together again. We want to share with you a symbolic message of hope for yourself, your family and other women and our communities that hope abounds.
Purple is the colour of hope, of healing and of our Métis Grandmothers. Combining the stability that blue brings with the fiery passion of red, purple is a sacred colour that represents spirituality, justice and ceremony.
You may have seen these purple ribbons flying in your communities earlier this year and last year, and now is the chance for you to get your own! To get some ribbons for yourself, email info@metiswomen.org! Be sure to share your ribbons and tag us online too!