A significant portion of the Metis became transient workers, moving about the Northwest once again and began settling in current day Alberta. Resourcefulness among the Metis during the Depression was the key to survival. They accepted an assortment of odd jobs and found employment as domestics and janitors, labouring on threshing crews, itinerant workers, digging seneca root, cutting and hauling firewood and in the far north hunting and trapping. Often an entire family might be working, with children bringing in money by selling gopher tails or coyote skins. The Metis were locked in the 1800s financially.

The process of delivering land script to the Metis, that subsequently robbed them of their land, brought about a new era of political activity by the Metis. In 1901, the Metis tried to fight back and tried to bring the numerous questionable dealings bye script speculators to the attention of the Canadian Parliament or the public; asking for a Royal Commission to investigate their grievances. Their plea was refused and they were told to go through the courts. One such case was brought to an end when Canada legislated that Half-breed Script complaints must be brought forward within three years of its commission, effectively blocking this democratic process to Metis people.

In the late 1920s, the Federal Government was making plans to transfer control of Crown Lands in the west to the Provinces to be opened up for settlement. The surveying systems adopted by Canada created segments around surveyed hectares called Road Allowances (or Crown Land set aside for future roads). The Metis had been squatting on this land for several centuries. This is where a lot of Metis People settled, onto these small 33 foot strips of land. Living on the fringes of both the white community and the Indian reserves. These holdings can still be seen in the Prairies to this day. A small house at the front of the road allowance, with a garden behind.

In Alberta, the efforts of four men finally drew government attention to the plight of the Metis. Joe Dion, Malcolm Norris, Jim Brady and Peter Tomkins set up the Metis Association of Alberta, subsequently leading to a convention which passed formal resolutions on land, trap lines, education and welfare. Recognition of grievances resulted in provincial legislation granting Metis the right to medical care and relief, and in the appointment by the Alberta government of the Ewin Commission in 1935 -- to conduct a formal investigation into the future of the Metis.

In 1938 conclusions drawn by the Commission were incorporated into the Metis Betterment Act. Based on their recommendations, land allotments were granted in designated colonies, in the hope that permanent settlements would alleviate alarming health, education and welfare problems. Colonies revolved around farm home-steading. Provisions for free hunting and fishing permits gave residents a broader, more traditional base for their livelihood. Click here to see a map of the colonies

Metis People in Saskatchewan began to organize and protest in the mid-1930s, when Joseph Ross formed the Saskatchewan Metis Society. Through to this current day, Metis people are continuing to stand up and fight for their rights and a settlement of their issues by the Federal Government. Every Province in Canada is the home to Metis People, with historic land claims in each still unresolved. Metis People continue to have pride in their culture and a significant bond exists flowing from the fact that they are distinct from both the Indian and White worlds.

Metis associations matured in the 1970s, broadening in scope to play a role in issues other than unemployment, poverty and health care. Approaches to government became more sophisticated. Communication and media skills were developed. More relevant education programmes were designed and attempts were made to determine Metis rights to land an mineral reserves.

With the awakening of a political identity in the 1970s and 1980s, there came an awareness of the importance of cultural identity and a desire for recognition by Metis People as a nation apart from Indian and White worlds. There is more to Metis culture than beadwork, playing the fiddle and dancing the Red River jig. Contemporary Metis have become persuasive and astute politicians. New cultural programmes are fostering what legal debates may fail to achieve.

Common values, attitudes and a fundamental need for freedom have remained the most distinctive Metis characteristics. Above all, the ability to come together in times of need, which has preserved their identify for more than two centuries, ensures the Metis a place in Canadian history.

In 1980 the Canadian government was concentrating its efforts in patriation of the Constitution from England. After long and heated debates, the Canada Act was passed. Within this act, the term "Aboriginal people of Canada" was identified to include Indian, Inuit and (finally) Metis. Metis People struggle today in proving their land claims, that their distinct culture be preserved and perhaps simply, acquiring the respect of the People of Canada for their significant role in the formation of the nation.