Feds Explain Decision To Pull Out Of Metis Vote
Tuesday, February 06, 2007 at 15:01
A federal government spokesperson says it was a lack of effort and cooperation that resulted in a recent decision to call off efforts for a new Metis election in Saskatchewan.
Patricia Vallardeau of Indian Affairs insists her department did its best to support efforts towards a new vote.
However, she says the Provincial Metis Council’s refusal to negotiate a new vote forced the department to abandon the idea.
She adds Ottawa still intends to work with MNS affiliates, such as the Gabriel Dumont Institute and Clarence Campeau Development Fund.
Meanwhile, the president of the Metis National Council says both the province and Ottawa are not demonstrating enough respect for the MNS Constitution.
Metis leaders have been using the Constitution as the reason why they can’t agree to certain proposals for a new Metis election set forth by an independent oversight committee.
Clem Chartier says the MNS Constitution can’t be set aside any more than the federal constitution can.
Having said that, Chartier says he’s pretty confident the provincial government wants to see this resolved and will eventually come back to the negotiating table.
A Metis activist says there’s only one way to settle the MNS election dispute — and it involves bypassing the Provincial Metis Council altogether.
Robert Doucette says the PMC has never been interested in holding another election, and that’s why it’s digging in its heels over how to run a new vote.
Doucette argues that since members of the PMC aren’t recognized as legitimate Metis leaders by either Ottawa or the province, the two levels of government should start dealing directly with Metis locals and find consensus there.
Doucette believes “99 per cent” of Metis people want an election overseen by an independent third party — one of the oversight committee’s proposals that MNS leaders don’t support.
Meanwhile, a fellow candidate in the 2004 MNS election for president says he’s not surprised efforts to stage a new vote have been derailed.
Alex Maurice agrees with Doucette that most members of the PMC don’t want a new election, unless they control it.
He says the grassroots citizens he has talked to support the work of the independent oversight committee and its chair, Marilyn Poitras.
Maurice hopes a new vote can still take place on the date proposed by the committee — June 27th.
He also says, under the MNS Constitution, a general assembly can be called if 75 Metis local presidents sign their name to a petition calling for one.
Maurice expects there will be some disagreement over who the presidents of each local are, but he believes that can be sorted out.