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SOURCE Métis National Council
OTTAWA, March 8, 2013 /CNW/ - his morning the Supreme Court of Canada
ruled that the Métis are entitled to a declaration that Canada failed
to implement Section 31 of the Manitoba Act 1870 as required by the
honour of the Crown. The decision marks the culmination of thirty two
years of court action by the Manitoba Métis Federation against the
Governments of Canada and Manitoba, seeking fulfillment of the
commitments made by Sir John A. Macdonald to the Métis provisional
government and its, president, Louis Riel, for a 1.4 million acre land
base for the children of the Métis majority in the Red River
Settlement. Under the terms of the Manitoba Act, that Settlement became
the province of Manitoba.
"Our search for justice since 1870 has been vindicated by the Supreme
Court today", declared President Clément Chartier of the Métis National
Council. "The entire Métis Nation salutes the Manitoba Métis Federation
(MMF) and its President David Chartrand for pursuing our land claims in
the courts since 1981 against all odds".
The decision sets the stage for land claims settlement negotiations
between the MMF and Canada. "As the only Aboriginal people excluded
from the federal land claims process, the Métis finally have the
leverage to start these negotiations," said President Chartier. "It is
fitting that the decision comes on March 8, the 30th anniversary of the
founding of the Métis National Council, itself an expression of the
continuous struggle for justice of the Métis Nation."
The MNC represents the Métis Nation in Canada at the national and
international levels. The Métis Nation's homeland includes the 3
Prairie Provinces and extends into Ontario, British Columbia, the
Northwest Territories and the northern United States. There are
approximately 350,000 - 400,000 Métis Nation citizens in Canada,
roughly a quarter of all Aboriginal peoples in the country.
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