As the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan ponders changes to its constitution it is seeking guidance from Métis citizens.
Throughout March and into the end of April, MN-S has held and will be holding several constitutional reform engagement sessions across the province.
The MN-S has labeled these sessions Voice of the People with the goal of getting input from Métis citizens on several proposed changes to the constitution.
MN-S Provincial Secretary and Associate Minister of Constitutional Reform Lisa McCallum spoke with MBC Radio News about the sessions.
“Input from Métis citizens is absolutely needed and will determine the direction our government goes,” said McCallum. “I always appreciate any opportunity to work closely with our citizens, locals, and regions to continue to build a strong nation together.”
McCallum says constitutional reform is necessary in moving the MN-S forward.
The Métis Nation is bringing forward several proposed changes for discussion. This includes amendments to three existing acts, the creation of four new acts, and the repealing of two existing acts.
The acts proposed to be amended include the Elections Act, the Assemblies Act, and the Citizens Act. The acts proposed to be repealed include the Senate Act and the Boundaries Act. Finally the proposed new acts include a Local and Regional Act, an Interpretation Act, and a Judiciary Act.
“We need the support of all Métis citizens in the province because this is a really big process and there is a lot of information to go through,” said McCallum.
McCallum highlighted the amendments to the Election Act and the creation of a Judiciary Act as two discussions to be prioritized. She says these are specifically important as the MN-S faces an election in 2025 and believes these changes will better help the MN-S in that process.
The MN-S Provincial Secretary described the Judiciary Act as a sort of “Métis Court” where election disputes or citizen complaints could be resolved. This is a reform that has been in discussion within the MN-S for several years.
The Métis Nation-Saskatchewan will be holding its spring legislative assembly on May 24-26. While McCallum says all of these proposed constitutional changes will be discussed at the assembly she does not anticipate any changes to be made at that point.
“We will not ask anyone to vote on (The proposed constitutional reforms) until our fall session,” she said.
The fall MN-S assembly has not yet been scheduled.
In the meantime, engagement sessions are planned for Prince Albert this week with a tour through northwest Saskatchewan scheduled for the end of the month.
A full schedule of the engagement sessions can be found here.