In collaboration with the BC Métis Federation (BCMF) research team, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has provided a Letter of Support that reflects the unique interests and needs of BCMF. The Letter of Support begins a longer process of relationship building that will fundamentally alter how LAC understands and supports community-based research.

BCMF applauds LAC’s commitment to examining and removing the barriers and limitations that have previously hindered the work of BCMF’s community-based researchers. The Letter of Support means it will be much easier for them to successfully conduct historical research that addresses the specific interests of Métis communities in the Pacific Northwest.

BCMF’s Director of Research, Joe Desjarlais, stated, “This letter was truly a collaborative process, and I would like to thank the LAC staff and the BCMF team, for their effort to bring us to this point. We are excited because this Letter of Support signals a change in how Métis do research. It means that Métis people and communities belong in these official spaces, which have long been the custodians of Métis history and memory in the Pacific Northwest.”

LAC continues to support research capacity building within Métis communities, identifying and addressing barriers to research through sharing circles that include community-based researchers. LAC is also reviewing funding opportunities, providing application submission assistance, dialoguing on key items of archival practice, and increasing access to collections related to Métis peoples in the Pacific Northwest.

LAC’s Letter of Support demonstrates the institution’s willingness to support Indigenous organizations and peoples in Canada. Joe Desjarlais, stated, “We are now empowered to work with LAC to decolonize their institution and its associated practices so we can do our research and tell our own stories in our own words. We are building a relational model that can also apply to other Indigenous communities across Canada.”

The LAC Letter of Support can be viewed here.