Serious questions are being raised about next month’s Metis Nation – Saskatchewan election.
MBC has obtained a legal application that was filed in a Saskatoon courtroom earlier this month.
The two applicants, Robert McLeod and Ronald Lamabe, are calling on the judge to declare that the MN-S election, planned for May 30th, can go ahead.
According to the application, the federal and provincial governments are refusing to provide funding for the election without a decision from the court first.
The court filing indicates neither the Provincial Metis Council nor the Metis Nation Legislative Assembly had quorum when they put in motion the setting of an election date.
The document claims that the PMC has not been able to attain quorum since September of 2010 — and that not only are any future attempts likely to fail, “there are no internal processes of the Metis Nation – Saskatchewan that are adequate to resolve the matter”.
If the judge refuses to give his blessing to the May 30th date, the two men are asking for court approval that the PMC can hold another meeting where the quorum requirement of 11 members would be dispensed with for the sole purpose of ratification of the election.
One of the presidential candidates in the Metis election says he disagrees with the way the election was initially called, and also the way it is now being directed through legal channels.
Ray Laliberte says the priority is to ensure the election is held fairly, and it shouldn’t have been called at a meeting where quorum wasn’t met.
Laliberte stresses the MN-S Constitution must be upheld, and he is hoping the judge who is currently looking at the request will take that into account.
He adds it is worrying to think a court judgment could give Metis validation to break their own constitution.
The judge hearing the case has reserved decision until an undetermined date.