MNC Pitches Proposed Solution To MNS Dispute

MNC Pitches Proposed Solution To MNS Dispute

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 12:49

The leader of the Metis National Council says he’s drafted a proposal he hopes will settle the controversy surrounding the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan.

The provincial and federal governments have been refusing to deal with the MNS or fund the group over concerns about its disputed 2004 election.

And last month, the provincial Metis organizations in Alberta and BC announced they would no longer take part in MNC meetings when MNS representatives were present.

MNC president Clem Chartier says it’s clear this issue needs to be settled soon.

Chartier says he has had conversations and meetings with provincial Metis Relations Minister Maynard Sonntag and federal Metis interlocutor Jim Prentice over the last couple of weeks.

He won’t say what’s in the proposal until he knows whether both levels of government will accept it — an outcome he feels will be apparent within the next two or three weeks.

The MNS says it plans to hold another election in the fall, but the organization has been at odds with the province over who will run the election.