The Coalition of Indigenous People of Saskatchewan is aiming to set the tone for meaningful negotiations with the federal government over rights for Metis and non-status Indians.
In April, the Supreme Court granted them recognition as defined under the Indian Act, but not much has happened since then.
Saskatchewan Coalition Indigenous People of Saskatchewan president Kim Beaudin said he wants to start putting a little pressure on Ottawa.
The group plans to hold an informational meeting to get organized. It will also start handing out treaty cards to Metis and off-reserve First Nations people.
“And I want to stress it’s not going to be willy nilly,” he said. “We have a process and a membership profile that we have put together and we will be following that – so it won’t be like anybody can come in and sign up saying that ‘I am Metis,’ that sort of thing.”
A meeting will be held in Saskatoon on Saturday to get the process moving. Beaudin says discussion will cover everything from the Daniels Supreme Court decision on Metis rights to the recent jurisdiction fight over child care between the province and the Saskatoon Tribal Council.
“There will be some huge issues on the table and we want to hear what people have to say,” he said.
Beaudin said the Coalition of Indigenous Peoples of Saskatchewan is also looking at the possibility of a class action lawsuit for treaty rights, but said he would rather negotiate than get involved in another long drawn-out court battle.
The Daniels decision does not grant status rights to Metis, but it does open the door to negotiations and it does put Metis and non-status Indians under the jurisdiction of the federal government.