On September 19th, 2003 The Supreme Court of Canada handed down a decision on the Powley case and established a test criteria for proving Métis rights in Canada to hunt, fish and gather.

After the Powley decision was handed down, the NBAPC received many phone calls and fielded numerous questions with regards to New Brunswick and Métis rights. The New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council decided that there was a need to educate by obtaining information on Métis in New Brunswick. The NBAPC would like to ensure that all people are accessing proper and factual information on Métis issues in New Brunswick.

According to the research being carried out by the Department of Justice, it is not believed that there was a Métis Community ever established in New Brunswick.

The most current way to identify a Métis connection is the Powley Test.