These records are now available in Archives Search. Métis land
claims in the Province of Manitoba were dealt with by the
Department of the Interior under sections 31 and 32 of the
Manitoba Act (33 Victoria, chapter 3). Since each section
involved slightly different administrative procedures for the
Department - a difference which is reflected to some extent in
the archival record, especially the registers and indexes - they
will be discussed separately. Claims Under Section 31 Section 31
primarily focused on Métis claims arising out of the
extinguishment of their Indian title: "And whereas, it is
expedient, towards the extinguishment of the Indian Title to the
lands in the Province, to appropriate a portion of such
ungranted lands, to the extent of one million four hundred
thousand acres thereof, for the benefit of the families of the
half-breed residents, it is hereby enacted, that ... the
Lieutenant-Governor shall select such lots or tracts in such
parts of the Province as he may deem expedient, to the exte