Manitoba Metis Federation citizenship cards can soon be used at liquor stores
Manitoba Metis Federation citizenship cards can soon be used at liquor stores
Manitoba is expanding the types of identification acceptable for use to purchase liquor, cannabis and lottery tickets in the province.
In a news release sent Thursday afternoon, the province said Manitoba Metis Federation citizenship cards will soon be used as a primary form of identification at liquor and cannabis stores, along with stores that sell lottery tickets.
“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 Premier Heather Stefanson in a news release. “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.”
The cards include holographic images, along with the person’s photo, birthday and other information to verify their identity. They have also been recognized by Elections Canada and Elections Manitoba as acceptable identification to vote in elections.
According to the province, there are approximately 47,000 people registered as Metis in the province.
Inside of RJ Kusmack’s cannabis shop, he smiles at the thought of being able to accept MMF cards, saying “it’s about time.”
Nods to Kusmack’s Metis heritage are found inside his store, Fiddler’s Green Cannabis Company, but he currently can’t use MMF cards to verify customer ages.
Kusmack can vote in elections with his Manitoba Metis Federation card - but can't use it to buy age-restricted products in Manitoba.
"We could choose our (prime minister) but we couldn't go to the wine store to buy a bottle of wine for our spaghetti."
Manitoba Metis Federation President David Chartrand tried it for himself.
"I don’t drink but I wanted to see what the reaction would be,” he said, noting his MMF card didn’t work. “We heard outcries from some of our citizens standing up - and I commend them on that - feeling and expressing their feelings of total discrimination."
Now - places regulated by Liquor Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba says MMF cards could be recognized as soon as the end of spring.
Alison Mitchell, the communications manager for the authority says it is in the works.
''The LGCA is working on what we're calling a liquor modernization initiative, which is Bill 7, which is before the house right now."
Kusmack is glad to hear the news.
"It’s great. It’s a step towards reconciliation as well in my option,” Kusmack said.
Chartrand says the announcement is significant for Metis identity, which he says many people are reclaiming.
"Our citizens also want to be respected for who they are. They are proud Metis,” he said.
Kusmack is looking forward to the day he can recognize MMF cards at his Metis shop.
"It's going to be a good day. Smiles all around,” he said. “We employ Metis and Indigenous staff. As a collective we are going to be happy to see it come together."
Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries says it is advocating for this change.
"Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries recognizes the importance of allowing the Manitoba Métis Federation Citizenship (MMF) card to be used as a primary form of identification to enter and shop in our Liquor Marts," a spokesperson says in a statement to CTV News.
"We have tested the current MMF cards with the latest security features and are in the process of updating our internal policies and procedures in anticipation of this change, though we do not have a start date just yet."
Chartrand says he wants other institutions such as banks and airlines to take note of this provincial change and allow MMF cards to be used as official identification.
"We want to make it very clear to them," Chartrand said. "Look at us, give us the respect we deserve. And we're a government."
A grand jury in Manhattan has voted to indict Donald Trump -- the first time in American history that a current or former president has faced criminal charges, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
A scientist at CAMH says video games have similar addictive features to gambling which cause social isolation of the individual and dependency on the activity.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
Riley Jolly detailed several injuries he observed on his son, Emerson Whitby, prior to the 18-month-old’s death, during testimony at Court of King’s Bench in Regina on Thursday.
Students at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine are reluctant to speak up when faculty make racist comments, according to a new report from the human rights commission.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
There are exciting plans for Knox Presbyterian Church in downtown Sudbury. Built in 1927, the former church was sold after its congregation dwindled and will be transformed into a concert hall.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
The Alberta government has revealed plans for some of the $211 million it will spend over the next three years expanding and improving parks, campgrounds and recreation trails.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Premier Doug Ford is slamming federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault as a “real piece of work” in the wake of public remarks he made suggesting that Ontario has “no plan to fight climate change.”
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
Three Calgary men face multiple charges after a police investigation that targeted drug traffickers resulted in the seizure of more than $250,000 in drugs, firearms and various rounds of ammunition, other weapons and drug paraphernalia.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
Just a week after Airbnb tightened regulations for Quebec listings following a deadly fire, hosts may already be bending the rules. Airbnb now requires its hosts to provide a six-digit policy number with their listing, obtained when a tourist lodging is registered with the provincial government. But a scroll through the Airbnb website suggests users are falsifying their permit numbers to sneak past the authentication process.
A lawyer for the United States government told Quebec's highest court today that the country should be immune from prosecution for the infamous brainwashing experiments at McGill University from the 1940s to the 1960s.
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
Gun policy comments made by then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki in a contentious call to Nova Scotia RCMP officers after the mass shooting in 2020 did not amount to political interference, the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) final report concludes.
Indicators of the spread of COVID-19 in B.C. continued their upward trend this week, with the number of people hospitalized with the disease hitting its highest level since Jan. 12.
A 32-year-old man from Campbell River, B.C., has been sentenced to four years in prison for the beating death of a 59-year-old homeless man in October 2020.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says designated landing zones should be available for aircraft in harbours following a crash between a floatplane and a water taxi in Tofino in 2021.
