A historic agreement signed in Ottawa Thursday afternoon is aiming to bring Metis people in Saskatchewan one step closer to reconciliation.
Metis Nation-Saskatchewan President Glen McCallum signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett at the minister’s office in the nation’s capital.
The agreement will bring both groups together on a “mutually acceptable path” toward reconciliation for the province’s Metis people.
In the historic Daniels decision, the Supreme Court of Canada redefined Metis standing in the country. In light of this, other Metis organizations signed agreements with Ottawa to ensure both parties work together. The MN-S is the latest to sign such an agreement.
“This is a relationship we should be having and we are having,” said MN-S President Glen McCallum. “The government is very accepting to the idea to move forward and reconcile on things we have to for the Metis.”
McCallum, who signed the MOU with Minister Bennett in Ottawa, also says the agreement gives both sides a foundation for any negotiations moving forward.
“So there is a lot of work that still needs to be done, but we have found common ground,” he said.
Metis land claims are at the front and centre for the MN-S president when it comes to these negotiations. Included in the Daniels decision was the requirement to resolve outstanding claims under section 35 of the Constitution Act. Many Metis organizations across the country are hoping for just and lasting settlements to these claims.
“For me this MOU starts that conversation,” said McCallum. “Of course the framework has to be worked out and that is being worked on at this moment, but the conversation has started”
McCallum says the agreement will also lay the groundwork for the MN-S to negotiate with the government over other issues like a settlement for the Ile a la Crosse Boarding School and the Metis exclusion from the Sixties Scoop Settlement.
The MN-S President also says he hopes to enter a similar agreement with the provincial government in the future.
(PHOTO: Young Metis dancers at a recent event in Saskatoon. Photo by Joel Willick)