The Manitoba government announced that Manitoba Métis Federation citizenship cards will be recognized as valid identification when accessing products and services regulated by the Liquor, Cannabis and Gaming Authority of Manitoba (LCGA).
In the coming months, the LCGA will update its regulations to accomodate the change. As well, staff at licensed businesses will get training to recognize MMF citizenship cards.
A press release from the province is below:
The Manitoba government is recognizing Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) citizenship cards as a primary form of identification to purchase liquor, cannabis and gaming products in Manitoba, Premier Heather Stefanson announced today.
“The Manitoba government is continuing to advance reconciliation and honour the vital contributions of the Red River Métis in shaping Manitoba’s history and culture,” said Stefanson. “These changes will remove barriers for Indigenous Peoples to access products and services such as those regulated by the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA).”
The MMF is recognized as a self-government through an agreement with the Government of Canada. Currently, there are roughly 47,000 registered Métis citizens in the province. MMF citizenship cards include secure holographic images, displaying the photo, birthday and other verification information of the holder and security features that align with preferred identifications at modern retailers and regulators. These citizenship cards are also recognized by Elections Canada and Elections Manitoba.
“The National Government of the Red River Métis is pleased to hear that Manitoba intends to pass legislation to recognize our citizenship cards as government-issued ID,” said David Chartrand, president, MMF. “We look forward to the end of the discriminatory policy that saw our secure and protected IDs disregarded and we thank Premier Stefanson for her efforts to remedy this discrimination. We will continue to advocate for the recognition of our nation and the rights of our citizens with our provincial partners on many other matters of importance to us, here in the province we brought into Canada’s confederation.”
“I am pleased that the LGCA is able to take this important step to update and modernize regulations to recognize the MMF citizenship card as a primary form of identification,” said Kristianne Dechant, CEO, LGCA. “We also understand that not all individuals may have access to identification that is currently accepted by some retailers and this is another step to removing barriers for Manitobans to access these age-restricted products.”
The LGCA will lead the process to update its regulations in the coming months. Staff at licensed establishments will also be trained to recognize MMF citizenship cards to ensure a smooth transition of accepting the new form of identification.
