103-year-old woman becomes oldest B.C. Métis citizen in birthday ceremony

Gladys Goulet never thought she’d see that day she could proudly declare her Métis heritage in public.

The Manitoba-born woman, now a resident of Victoria, B.C., spent decades concealing her identity in a country that openly oppressed and shamed Indigenous peoples.

“You wouldn’t say it at one time — that’s how it was,” she told Global News, wearing a colourful woven Métis sash for the very first time.

On Tuesday, Goulet became the newest and oldest member of the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) in a special ceremony on her 103rd birthday.

Her daughter Giselle Goulet was also awarded a citizenship card and “welcomed back to the Métis Nation” warmly.

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“I’m really proud of her. I always have been proud of her,” Giselle said after the ceremony in Victoria.

“Imagine living all those years of your life and feeling you have to hide or being ashamed that that’s what your heritage was.”

Goulet was born in 1918 and orphaned at a young age after her family moved to Saskatchewan. She married, had three daughters and is a stepmother to four.

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Eventually she and her husband Godfrey Goulet moved to Vancouver Island, where they ran two successful coffee shops.

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Giselle described her mother as a “tough cookie” —  hard-working and an “amazing” best friend.

She applied for Métis citizenship on Goulet’s behalf earlier this year as their family gradually reconnected with the culture. Her son, a veteran, also has MNBC citizenship.

“We’d like to carry on that heritage, it’s very important that we know where our culture is, where we came from,” she explained.

According to MNBC, many Métis are returning to the nation. The organization approved 400 new citizenship applications in November alone.

“I think it’s a renewed sense of pride, a renewed sense of identity, and I think people are becoming more aware of their family history and who the Métis people are,” said Patrick Harriot, MNBC Minister of Citizenship and Community Services.

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He said it gave him “shivers” to hear Goulet talk about finally being able to be openly Métis.

“I only wish that my own great-grandmother could have celebrated that in her lifetime,” he said. “103 is something special.”

He gifted Goulet with her card, sash and a book about Métis cultural wellness.

Apart from the citizenship ceremony on Tuesday, Giselle said her mother has no other birthday plans.