Two suspended members of the Provincial Métis Council took their oaths of office Friday morning, but still won’t be able to attend PMC meetings.
Sherry Mclennan and Wendy Gervais took their oaths at a ceremony in Saskatoon.
The two regional representatives were suspended in March and barred from PMC meetings for alleged harassment against the CEO of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan.
A PMC resolution at the time says the two would remain suspended until they provided an apology to the CEO. The resolution also required the two individuals to keep the details of the investigation confidential, and directed a monetary settlement to the MN-S CEO, who was allegedly harassed.
McLennan and Gervais were re-elected to their regional positions in May, but were barred from taking their oaths of office in a swearing-in ceremony in June.
The two re-elected officials, however, were allowed to take their oaths at the swearing-in ceremony on Friday along with Vice President Michelle LeClair and Treasurer Jeremy Denomie who were officially elected following the conclusion of a judicial recount.
There was some confusion following the ceremony, however, as both regional representatives had different understandings of their role on the PMC going forward.
Wendy Gervais told MBC News she assumed her suspension at PMC meetings would continue while Sherry McLennan believed she would be allowed back at the table.
“Really this is just ceremonial,” said Gervais who says it was clear to her she would not be welcomed back at PMC meetings.
“I continue to find this alarming, and citizens should find this alarming, as these two regions represent about 40 percent of Métis citizens in the province,” she said when speaking on her continued suspension.
Meanwhile, McLennan says, her directive from the MN-S on the matter was unclear.
“I guess we’ll see,” she told MBC News. “There is no laws that will keep me from the table and now I have signed the oath. I will go (to the next) meeting and if I get kicked out again the people will speak again… if it happens again their voices are going to get stronger.”
MBC News did speak to an MN-S representative and was directed to the March PMC resolution, which declared McLennan and Gervais suspended until an apology was made.
At this time, no apology has been given, so it can be assumed the initial PMC resolution stands and the suspensions will continue.
That March PMC resolution is available here.
MN-S Vice President Michelle LeClair speaks into the matter
Speaking with MBC News, recently re-elected Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Vice-President Michelle LeClair was asked about the suspended members of the Provincial Métis Council.
“Discontented voices are as important, sometimes even more important than the contented voices,” said LeClair. “So we need to sort of sit back and figure out a way to get to community, talk about the issues that our citizens are feeling. I think that’s so important to address the issues that are sometimes uncomfortable to deal with. But that’s governance, that’s leadership.”
The MN-S Vice-President says it’s clear that there is a lack of “unity” in the Métis Nation right now.
“I mean, you’ve seen the social media, I’ve seen the social media,” said LeClair. “We need to address those issues in an upfront, transparent way, respect the fact that they feel a different way than, say, someone else might, and move forward in a good way, because we have a strong nation.”
In the meantime, heading in to her next tenure as MN-S Vice President, LeClair says she looks forward to continuing to move forward the claims of the Ile a la Crosse Boarding School survivors.
“There is still work to do,” she said.
Survivors signed an Agreement-in-Principle with Canada in March over the issue and LeClair says now she is working to help move the file forward with the province, something she says the public should have more information on in the coming month.
LeClair also says she hopes to work on areas around justice including land claims and the over-incarceration of Métis people in prisons.
(Top Photo – Sherry McLennan signs her oath of office. Photo courtesy the MN-S Facebook page)