22 METIS NA TION Of ONT ARIO Annu A l Repo R t 20122013 m e TI s n a TI on of o n T ar I o s elf G overnan C e I n 1993 The Metis Nation of Ontario MNO was established thr ough the will of Metis people and his toric Metis communities coming together to cr eate a Metisspecifc gover nance structur e Foundational principles wer e set at a founding meeting which br ought together Metis r epr esentatives fr om communi ties thr oughout the pr ovince Those principles continue to guide the evolution of the MNO today The foundational principles focus on Cr eation of a Metisspecifc gover nance structur e for the implementation of the Nation s inher ent right to selfgover nment Establishment of a cr edible and r ecognized identifcation system for Metis people within the pr ovince Nation building thr ough work as a collective to support Metis citizens and communities The pursuit of a rightsbased agenda and pr oud assertion of Metis existence as a distinct Aboriginal people within Ontario The pr otection and pr eser vation of the distinct cultur e and heritage of the Metis Nation in the pr ovince Impr ovements to the social and economic wellbeing of Metis childr en families and communities thr oughout the pr ovince The founding delegates put in place the fundamental principles of a r epr esentative Metis gover nment which r efects the values and aspirations of a pr oud people The delegates made a conscious decision to bind their people together in the spirit of nationbuilding not to pursue a corporate focus Based on this democratic r ep r esentative model the MNO designed its gover nance structur e to support the achievement of the Nation s self gover nment aspirations at a local pr ovincial and national level It is also based on the Metis Nation s inher ent and legal rights as distinct Aboriginal peoples the MNO designed its gover nance str uctur e to support the achievement of the Nation s self gover nment aspirations at a local pr ovincial and national level Gov E rn A nc E mno cit izens during t he 2011 mno a G a in p arry s ound