What was significant about Alberta's Métis Population Betterment Act of 1938?

• A. It established twelve temporary Métis settlements, the first government-provided land for Métis in Canada.
• B. It granted permanent title to land to all Métis families in Alberta.
• C. It created a Métis-only province in western Canada.
• D. It allowed Métis to purchase land from private owners at a discount.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is a government-led, land-based relief effort for the Métis. Alberta’s Métis Population Betterment Act of 1938 created twelve temporary Métis settlements on Crown land and provided the first government-provided land for Métis families in Canada, along with support to farm and live there. This was significant because it marked a formal recognition by a provincial government that land and farming opportunities could help improve Métis living conditions after years of hardship. The settlements were intended to be temporary and were a concrete step toward organizing land use for Métis people, rather than granting permanent titles or creating a new province. It reflects a shift toward state-assisted settlement policy in response to economic strain during that era, even though the arrangement was not permanent and did not resolve all land-right issues in the long run.