Celebrated Métis lawyer and author Jean Teillet never expected to be arguing a case about “a moose in Sault Ste. Marie” in the highest court in the land. But when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the Powley Case that the Métis had a right to hunt, Teillet realized it was an enormous victory. The case, which put the Métis into what Teillet described as the legal “big leagues,” became renowned for recognizing the rights enshrined in section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. Charged with illegal hunting in 1993, the case of Steve Powley and his son Roddy laid the groundwork for subsequent rulings and negotiations that acknowledged Métis rights.

Many years later, after numerous other victories in court, Teillet took on perhaps an even greater challenge: chronicling the storied saga of the Métis in a “popular history.” Released in 2019, The Northwest is Our Mother quickly became the go-to book about the Métis and was a prime source of information for The True Canadians. Teillet explains to host David Wylynko that even though the Métis continue to face an uphill battle – typically negotiating through the Liberals and litigating through the Conservatives – she has a strong belief that a roadmap for the future of Canada is being laid, with the Métis figuring prominently in its design. Working since her retirement as an artist, Teillet tells listeners the reasons for her eternal optimism.

Notes

• A review of The Northwest is Our Mother
• The True Canadians website
• Intro and outro music by Métis musician Alex Kusturok
• Opening quote from an address by Métis leader Jim Sinclair during the 1987 Canadian constitutional talks