Métis citizens discuss state of provincial organization at general meeting

Members of the Métis community met at the Central Urban Métis Federation Wellness Centre Saturday for a general assembly to discuss the state of their provincial organization, the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S).

• Métis leaders call for general assembly in Saskatoon
• Judge orders Métis Nation-Saskatchewan to hold legislative assembly

"We're assembled here today to try and move our nation forward at the grassroots level," said president of Green Lake Métis local, Kelvin Roy.

Over 60 people came to discuss the political and financial situation of the organization in hopes of a legislative assembly. 

"We're recommending resolutions to the [Métis Nation Legislative Assembly], where they should decide the outcomes of those resolutions under their authority," said Roy.

In a statement titled Resolution to call an MNLA, the resolved outcome states the Métis citizens of Saskatchewan are calling for an MNLA to be held on Nov. 13-14. The legislative assembly would be made of 33 delegates consisting of 75 per cent of active locals, four youth and four women representatives with acquired funding from the federal government.

Legislative assembly ordered

Back in April, a Queen's Bench judge ordered the MN-S to hold a legislative assembly on or before June 19.

Any funding coming into the MN-S was helped by Aboriginal Affairs until an assembly, made up of Métis delegates from across the province, took place.

"Under our constitution, we have the right to assemble and we're just here to exercise that right, to recommend to our MNLA the direction that we want our MNLA members to take," Roy said.

"All we're asking for is our right to exercise our democratic right to decide and recommend an outcome for our nation," he added.

MN-S president Robert Doucette was among the crowd. He said, "The bottom line for me, with respect to the MN-S, is to see an MNLA happen. Where the voices of our people are heard, and they give direction, and we deal with it," he said. "That's the end goal for, I think, a lot of people across this province."     

Doucette said that in 2012, the group had an operating budget of almost $4 million. Now, the funds are nearly gone, leaving him to wonder what happened in the past three years.

"I think the goals of all these people here is to get this organization back on good footing and in the right direction," he said.