The Métis National Council () is the representative body of the Métis people of northwestern Canada. The MNC represents the Métis Nation both nationally and internationally, receiving direction from the elected leadership of the Métis Nation's provincial-level governments. The goal of the MNC is to "secure a healthy space for the Métis Nation's on-going existence within the Canadian federation". History The National Council was formed in 1983 to support the recognition of the Métis as a distinct ethnicity who identify separately from other aboriginal groups, share Métis Nation ancestry (e.g. the Northwest and Red River, Manitoba settlements) and form recognized communities. This Council was formed to advocate at the federal level in Canada, which became particularly important with Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. It is a recognized voice of the Métis people in five Canadian provinces to the Government of Canada, and represents these Métis people on the international stage. The National Council is governed by a Board of Governors made up of the presidents of the provincial Métis organizations and the national president. A former national president of the Council is Yvon Dumont, who went on to become the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. The current president of the Métis National Council is Cassidy Caron Indigenous Affairs Canada, the relevant federal ministry, deals with the MNC; on April 13, 2017 the two parties signed the Canada-Metis Nation Accord, with the goal of working with the Metis Nation, as represented by the Metis National Council on a Nation to Nation basis. Metis re-organization of 2020s Six Métis communities in Northern Alberta broke away from the Metis Nation of Alberta (MNA) in early 2020, just as the same that the MNA was in a dispute with the Metis National Council (MNC). The confluence of the two conflicts created a major restructuring of Metis organizations in Western Canada. At issue are such fundamentals as who is Metis and which organizations should have the democratic mandate to speak for the Metis to the federal and provincial governments. Disputes between provincial Metis organizations Definitions of who is Metis One source of tension in the dispute between provincial organizations is a disagreement over who is considered Métis. The Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF)’s official position adopted in 2019, is that membership in Metis organizations must only be open to people with ancestors within the Metis "homeland"': consisting of the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,