1876 Dominion of Canada $20 Land Scrip Metis No 4311

1876 Dominion of Canada $20 Land Scrip AU50 EPQ Metis Number 4311 as well as its history Scrip notes #4304 – 4311 were issued via claim #558 to Auguste Harrison, date of birth March 9, 1836. His father was Thomas Harrison (Metis) and his mother was Pauline Longimoniere (French Canadian). The total script issued via claim #558 was $160, comprised of 8, $20 notes. The date of issue of the notes is June 13, 1876. They are among the early notes issued under the federal government plan to extinguish Metis land title. For the purposes of this program, land was valued at $1 per acre. At that time, the newly-created provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta did not have the same standing, status or rights as the 4 provinces that were part of Confederation in 1867. In fact, all lands in the new provinces were controlled by the federal government. The federal government controlled mineral rights in the new provinces as well. The provincial rights under the British North America Act of 1867 did not apply to the new provinces at that time. The lands available to be acquired with Metis scrip were predominantly in the southern part of the provinces. Many Metis, most of whom were illiterate, lived in the northern parts of the province and were unwilling to move south. They were also susceptible to being manipulated by white settlers. Metis scrip could only be redeemed in the Dominion land offices, in exchange for available lands specified by federal government authorities. Since many Metis received the scrip, but were unwilling to re-locate to use it for land acquisition in the south, they ended up selling their scrip, usually at a highly discounted rate, to white settlers, who could then acquire available lands, since the scrip were ‘bearer’ notes. This left many Metis dispossessed of their land, without a replacement tract of land, and poorer for having sold the scrip for pennies on the dollar.