After the 1901 census had identified approximately 10,000 people with mixed Indigenous ancestry living in the region that would become the province of Saskatchewan under the term "half-breed." The 1906 special western census dropped the category with no replacement to identify Metis and other peoples of mixed Indigenous ancestry, which ultimately erased their identity in the eyes of the government and any fiduciary or legal obligation.
While the Metis identity should not be conflated with all individuals of mixed Indigenous ancestry, this omission within the census, without consultation of any representatives from the Metis people, ignored the distinctiveness of the Metis nation as well as their central role in Saskatchewan's early history. Ultimately, omitting the category that included Metis from the census illustrates the delegitimization of their nationhood and Indigenous identity.
- Automated Genealogy. Index to the 1906 Census of the Northwest Provinces. Accessed 30 July 2015. http://automatedgenealogy.com/census06/