The decision by the colonial authorities to not acknowledge the Metis Nation of Manitoba as a third founding nation in their establishing of the new government of the federation only furthered the removal of Indigenous acknowledgment in Canadian identity.
The British North American Act of 1867 served to continue the connection between the Provinces of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia with the Crown of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This desire to be connected with the Crown, strengthened the bond with the colonized and oppressive treatment of Indigenous people, and furthered the removal of their voices from the Canadian narrative. An act that was meant to be seen as nationalism as it was meant to reflect a cultural homogeny. Though this cultural identity was a replication of the one brought by the British, rather than a more inclusive and true reflection of Canada.
As its mentioned in Introduction to Nationalism, under the Imagined Communities, many of the known ancient national traditions are recent inventions to inspire national loyalty, and by extension, loyalty to state authority. This need to point to England as the furthest point of Canadian history and existence and by including the Metis Nation of Manitoba as a third founding nation the new set government would have gone against the narrative they were creating, and thus undermining their own authority.
As Laura Moss and Cynthia Sugars agree, that a nation exists when people believe it exists. And the acknowledgment of a nation that predates the one the government wishes to present only goes to contradict that message.
As the identity found in Canada can be described as a colonial mentality, steaming from the languages and cultures of the French and British. Which does not allow for a third founding nation. As it cannot define that third nation into the presented cultures. As the two primary cultural identities Canada is willing to acknowledge lacks the space for the third identity. Going as far as to remove any semblance of the other. With the Indian Act of 1876, which enforced residential schools and sought to eradicate cultural differences, to enforce both Indigenous and non white immigrants to conform to white civility.
As it was only in 1982 that the Constitution Act, 1982 set out to officially recognize the contributions made to Canada from many different nations and ethnic backgrounds. As it appears to not matter what the third nation may have been. The governmental identity set froth for Canada has been and continues to be an extension of the British crown and as such it lacks the space and ability to accept any identity that is other than the one that stems from European imperialism.
The lack of ability to acknowledge the Metis Nation of Manitoba as a third authority, is simply due to the need to preserve a non existent narrative, which was created by the authority the government is willing to acknowledge.
“Introduction to Nationalism | CanLit Guides.” CanLit Guides, canlitguides.ca/canlit-guides-editorial-team/introduction-to-nationalism. Accessed Mar. 2021.
“Métis Nation – Library and Archives Canada.” Goverment of Canada, www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/aboriginal-heritage/metis/Pages/introduction.aspx. Accessed Mar. 2021.
“Nationalism, Late 1800s–1950s: Canadian Immigration and War | CanLit Guides.” CanLit Guides, canlitguides.ca/canlit-guides-editorial-team/nationalism-late-1800s-1950s-canadian-immigration-and-war. Accessed Mar. 2021.
“Part 1 – Part I: British North America Act, 1867 – Enactment No. 1.” Government of Canada, www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/constitution/lawreg-loireg/p1t11.html. Accessed Mar. 2021.
“The Indian Act.” Indigenous Foundations, 2009, indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/the_indian_act.