Liberal candidate in upcoming byelection facing questions about Indigenous heritage claims

The Liberal candidate in an upcoming federal byelection in B.C. is facing questions from a local Métis community organization about her claims to Indigenous heritage.

Madison Fleischer, running in the riding of Cloverdale-Langley City, says she self-identifies as Métis and previously claimed to be Métis on some of her social media profiles.

But the Waceya Métis Society — a chartered community of the Métis Nation B.C. located in the riding — said Fleischer was unable to provide any evidence to back up her claims when approached by the organization.

“Waceya Métis Society wishes to distance itself from Madison’s claims of Métis identity. We ask that Madison take the necessary steps to properly research and verify her Indigenous heritage before making any further public assertions,” a statement from the organization said.

When reached for comment, the Liberal Party sent CBC News a statement from Fleischer. CBC News was unable to reach Fleischer directly.

“I self-identify as Métis based on what I know about my great grandmother’s heritage, and I am currently collecting the necessary documentation to go through the application process to receive Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) citizenship. I have always been vocal about not yet holding MNBC citizenship, and I removed Métis from my social media bios to ensure there was no confusion in my identification,” the statement said.

Beyond her social media profiles, Fleischer was identified as a “non-status Métis with Ukrainian ancestry” in a media statement posted online when she received a community service award from a local organization. 

Fleischer also was named one of Surrey B.C.’s “Top 25 under 25” by the Surrey Board of Trade. The board identified Fleischer as having “mixed Indigenous and Ukrainian heritage” in its listing.

The Liberal Party linked to both awards in Fleischer’s online biography. But the party itself didn’t identify Fleischer as Métis or Indigenous in the bio or in the press release that announced her as the candidate for the byelection.

Candidate was ‘dismissive,’ organization says

Callum Robinson, vice president of the Waceya Métis Society, said the organization reached out to Fleischer after a local news article about the byelection identified her as Métis. Robinson described Fleischer as “dismissive” when he met with her.

“She was not open to questions. She was clearly not up to date with Métis protocol and culture,” he told CBC News.

Robinson said Fleischer accused him of “nitpicking” at one point during the meeting when he asked her about her family and which Métis community she is tied to.

“I wasn’t asking for a family tree … just something that says, ‘Hey, I’m starting my journey and I’m just doing my research, my due diligence,'” he told CBC News.

When asked what sort of response he would like to hear from Fleischer and the Liberals, Robinson said the candidate should “tell the truth that she doesn’t know [if] she has Métis ancestry.”

“This is just a bad PR move in general, having her still run. So I think truth would be a good start,” he said.

The concerns about Fleischer emerged after Alberta MP Randy Boissonnault resigned from the federal Liberal cabinet after facing criticism over shifting claims about his Indigenous ancestry.