The federal government has signed historic agreements with the Métis nations in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan

The first-ever accords follow years of legal disputes and failed negotiations.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking at the third annual Crown-Métis Nation Summit in Ottawa, called Ottawa’s relationship with the Métis Nation a tangible and concrete example of reconciliation.

President of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan Glen McCallum and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett pose for photos as they met last July to sign a new framework agreement meant to advance reconciliation. (CBC News)

Métis leaders long insisted Métis people were being denied their indigenous rights, such as jurisdiction over hunting and fishing and the right to occupy their traditional territories.

The agreements, signed Thursday in Ottawa, affirm the Métis right of self-government and formally recognize the mandates of the Métis nations in the three provinces

They also recognize the Métis governments’ jurisdiction in the areas of citizenship, leadership selection and government operations.

As well, the agreements detail the next steps toward formally recognizing Métis governments in Canadian law and set out processes for negotiating more areas of future jurisdiction.