The Engraved Métis Veterans Memorial Monument Unveiled in Batoche

Transcription

1 August 2016 The Engraved Métis Veterans Memorial Monument Unveiled in Batoche The engraved Métis Veterans Me m o r i a l Mo n u m e n t w a s unveiled at the Back to Batoche Festival grounds on Saturday July 16, Tw o y e a r s a g o, t h e Me t i s celebrated the placing of the monument and it has taken since then to collect and collate over 5,000 names which are now engraved on the monument. This is the first monument to specifically honour our Métis servicemen and servicewomen, making it of great significance for the Métis and Canada alike. Placing the monument at Batoche ensured it is located at one the most sacred and revered sites of the Métis.

2 August 2016 Back to Batoche Celebration 2016 Thousands of people traveled to Back to Batoche to memorialize and pay homage to their national heroes and encourage knowledge sharing between the generations. In his address at the opening ceremony on July15, MNC Pr e s i d e n t Chartier highlighted the importance of this year s gathering in view of major cour t decisions upholding Métis rights and the determination of the Métis Nation to fulfill the mission of Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont. The Back to Batoche Days festival has been an annual event of the Métis which is held every third weekend in July and has been enjoyed since 1971 by Métis citizens from across North America. Many go to renew acquaintances, to make new friends, but more importantly, to pay tribute and show respect for those whose blood was spilled in 1885 when the Métis sought to preserve their lands, culture and dignity. People often travel and stay the full length of the festival at the grounds by brining a trailer, pitching a tipi or tent, and history. sleeping under the stars of the prairie sky. Giving opening remarks, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development stated, I am proud of our Government s support for the Back to Batoche Days, which are an important celebration of the Métis people and their culture, Through events such as this, Canadians can deepen their understanding of the people and events that helped to shape our countr y and celebrate that shared The four-day e vent, which began Thursday commemorated Métis culture and heritage through several traditional activities like jigging, fiddling, stor ytelling, cooking and singing. During the four days of celebrations, it also includes traditional dancing, evening entertainment, workshops. Chuckwagon and Chariot Races and Voyageur Games that will get your heart p u m p i n g. Ma n y a r t i s a n s showcased their talents and also traditional cuisine such a s moose stew and fry bannock. Continued on next page

3 August 2016

4 August 2016 National Indigenous Leaders meet with Premiers in Whitehorse The national representatives of Indigenous governments and organizations met with the provincial and territorial Premiers in their traditional annual meeting in Whitehorse, YK on July 20, President Chartier, representing the Métis Nation s national government, stressed the need for the Premiers of Ontario, Ma n i t o b a, S a s k a t c h e w a n, Alberta and British Columbia to take an active role in the federal g o v e r n m e n t s proposed engagement process with the M é t i s Na t i o n a n d i t s go ver nments in pursuit of reconciliation on a nation-to- nation, g o v e r n m e n t- t o government basis on Métis section 35 rights as recognized and affirmed in the Constitution Act, Based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the significant Supreme Court of Continued on next page

5 August 2016 Canada decisions over the past several years, coupled with the potential positive recommendations on reconciliation to be proposed by the Ministerial Special Representative, Tom Isaac, slated to be released tomorrow, July 21st, President Chartier informed the meeting that it was now timely for addressing Métis Na t i o n r i g h t s a n d a c co m m o d a t i o n o f Métis governance within Canada as one of the three orders of government recognized in s.35. representatives of Indigenous governments and organizations as participants in the FPTIF process. President Chartier also reaffirmed the Métis Nation s willingness to actively participate and engage in the newly formed Federal/Provincial /Territorial /Indigenous Forum (FPTIF) pending the adoption of terms of reference which included a distinctions-based approach, taking into account First Nations, Inuit and Métis Na t i o n r e a l i t i e s a n d t h e respectful use of langua ge acknowledging the national In this connection, it wa s agreed by the parties to the meeting that a priority item for the FPTIF should be Indigenous child welfare, with continuing work on issues previously dealt with in the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group (AAWG) of the Council of the Federation which is now being replaced by the new FPTIF process. This includes continued enga gement on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls, economic opportunities, housing, education, etc. There was also consensus that t h e Ab o r i g i n a l l e a d e r s Premiers annual engagement would continue.

6 August 2016 Métis Nation Welcomes Report of Ministerial Special Representative on Canada-Métis Nation Reconciliation On Jul y 21, 2016 President Clément Chartier of the Métis National Council welcomed the release of A Matter of National and Constitutional Import, the report of Ministerial Special Representative (MSR) Tom Isaac on reconciliation of Métis constitutional rights. Tom Isaac has rendered a valuable service in calling for a fundamental change in the mindsets of federal and provincial governments when dealing with Métis people and the Métis Nation, said Chartier. The central message is that these governments and their administrations have to start respecting the Métis as section 35 rights holders and to realign their attitudes and actions with this reality. President Chartier stressed the importance of meeting quickly with Minister Bennett and beginning a process to address and resolve Métis section 35 rights. We are fortunate in ha ving a federal government that has already committed to a reconciliation process with the Métis Nation to address Métis rights protected by s. 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, recognize Métis selfgovernment, and resolve outstanding Métis claims a gainst the Crown, said Chartier. I thank Minister Bennett for extending the MSR s mandate when the Liberals came into office and according it the importance it deserves. Now it s time to sit down with the Minister and begin working things out. Download the MSR report: report_reconciliation_ _eng.pdf

7 August 2016 Message from the President The long awaited report by Ministerial Special Representative (MSR) Thomas Isaac was released by Minister Bennett s office on July 21, Mr. Isaac recommended that Canada, with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) in the lead role, and the Métis Nation, with Métis National Council, its Governing Members and the Métis Settlements General Council in the lead role, move forward and adopt a Section 35 Métis rights framework as the basis of negotiations to effect reconciliation between Canada and the Métis. It was in fact the Métis Nation as represented by the Métis National Council and its Governing Members who had arranged with former Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Bernard Valcourt to engage in this process as the Métis Nation had once again been left out of a review on reforming the comprehensive land claims process undertaken by Douglas Eyford. Mr. Eyford recommended that a similar exercise be carried out with the Métis. The announcement of Thomas Isaac as the MSR and the Section 35 Métis rights consultations was made jointly by Minister Valcourt and the Métis Nation leadership in June 2015 in Calgary preceding the Métis Nation s General Assembly. The MSR s report highlights three court cases which can be seen as an integral part of the backdrop to the federal government and the Métis Nation coming together to launch and support the work of the MSR. Mr. Isaac pays considerable attention to the Powley decision and makes it clear that the legal tests established by the Supreme Court of Canada for determining Section 35 Métis rights must be the starting point to develop and implement any Section 35 Métis rights framework. Those legal tests require rights holders to prove ancestral connection to and acceptance by historical Métis communities. The National Definition of Métis adopted by the MNC and its Governing Members before the Powley decision meets these criteria which are applied by the citizenship registries operated by the MNC Governing Members. The MSR states that the work of these registries is essential to the implementation of any meaningful Section 35 Métis rights framework because it goes to the core of who actually possesses such Section 35 rights. He also calls on Canada to ensure a predictable, Continued on next page

8 August 2016 Message from the President (Continued ) long-term and stable funding regime to support the ongoing operation of the Métis Nation registries consistent with the Powley test set out by the Supreme Court of Canada. The MSR cites the Cunningham ruling of the Supreme Court in which it states that the constitutional amendments of 1982 (recognizing existing Aboriginal and treaty rights and the Métis as one of three Aboriginal peoples in Canada) signal that the time has finally come for recognition of the Métis as a unique and distinct people. The title of the MSR report - A Matter of National and Constitutional Import- is taken from the Supreme Court of Canada s landmark MMF Decision in 2013 when it was used to describe the unfinished business of reconciliation of the Métis people with Canadian sovereignty. These judicial decisions and the political struggle of the Métis Nation driving them have brought us to a critical juncture in our history: the start of negotiations between Canada and the MMF to settle the outstanding Métis land claim arising from the failure of the federal government to implement the Métis land grant section of the Manitoba Act 1870 in accordance with the honour of the Crown; and the upcoming commencement of talks on developing and implementing a Section 35 Métis rights framework. At the same time, we must always be on guard for backsliding, even on issues as important as our national identity. At the Métis National Council s General Assembly in 2013 a resolution was adopted to strengthen our National Definition by clearly setting out that there is only one Métis Nation with a distinct geographic homeland represented by the Métis National Council and its Governing Members. The resolution received unanimous support from the Manitoba Metis Federation, Métis Nation of Alberta and the Métis Nation British Columbia, and 13 of the 15 delegates from the Métis N a t i o n - S a s k a t c h e w a n. Remarkably, the two delegates voting against it, President Robert Doucette and Treasurer Louis Gardiner of the MNS, claimed that any persons of mixed ancestry throughout Canada are Métis. Moreover, the Métis Nation of Ontario abstained from the vote. We, as a people, are at an important time and place within our existence as a distinct rights bearing Indigenous people in our historic homeland. With the decision of the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan on July 30, 2016 to hold its election on February 4, 2017, the MNS will have an opportunity to lay to rest any backsliding on such a fundamental issue.

9 Métis Nation-Saskatchewan holds Métis Nation Legislative Assembly August 2016 On July 30 th, the MNS held its Métis Nation Legislative Assembly (MNLA), the first legitimate one since prior to its last election in The last one, which attempted to oust over 3/4 of the Provincial Métis Council (Board of Directors) of the MNS, was ruled illegal by the Court of Queen s Bench in Saskatchewan. This ultimately led to the suspension of funding to the MNS by the federal government in November 2014 until such time that open, transparent, and accountable governance was reestablished. As part of this process federal funding was made available through a third party advisory service which enabled the P r o v i n c i a l Métis Council to meet and ultimately call an MNLA, which has now set February 4, 2017 a s election date, with a Chief E l e c t o r a l Officer appointed and amendments made to the MNS Elections Act which will govern the February 2017 election. It is anticipated that with the forthcoming MNS election the conditions for an open, transparent and accountable government will be met leading to the restoration of federal funding and good governance for Métis Nation citizens within the province of Saskatchewan.

10 August 2016 Métis Youth Engagement On July 18, 2016 a number of Métis youth enga ged in a briefing by the federal government with respect to the proposed Prime Minister s Youth Council which Prime Minister Trudeau is planning to establish. According to the information posted by the government: The Council will advise the Prime Minister on national issues such a s employment, access to education, building stronger communities, climate change and clean growth. Following this briefing, President Chartier organized a teleconference with the youth representatives to discuss their thoughts and proposals for engagement in light of that briefing, as well as the proposed Indigenous youth advisor y committee currently in the process of being established by Minister Bennett. The youth and President Chartier also discussed the resolutions passed by the Métis National Council General Assemblies in 2013 and 2016 which called for youth enga gement and the development of a position paper which will chart a process for ward to ensure youth participation. It was also brought to the teleconference participants that there is a proposed national conference taking place to address youth suicide issues to be held in November 2016, preceded by two days of meetings specifically for Indigenous youth. President Chartier will be hosting another teleconference on August 30, 2016 to follow-up on these initiatives. Find out more about applying to become a member of the Prime Minister s Youth Council:

11 August 2016 UPCOMING EVENTS Environment Committee Meeting Aug 4 Edmonton, AB MNA AGA Aug 5-7 Métis Crossing, AB MNO AGA Aug North Bay, ON MMF AGA Sept Winnipeg, MB MNBC AGM Sept Richmond, BC ASETS Conference Nov Vancouver, BC Métis Nation Anthem Competition We thank all citizens who submitted their anthems for consideration. At this time we are still reviewing the submissions and hope to have a final decision made at the MNC Special General Assembly scheduled to take place in October 2016.

12 Office of the President Office of the President Métis National Council #4-340 MacLaren Street Ottawa, ON K2P 0M6 (800)