CANADA AM (CTV-TV), NATIONAL, 11 Nov 02, 07:15,
Length: 00:06:32, Ref# 25C6BC-13 Anchor/Reporters: SEAMUS O'REGAN

METIS VETERAN

SEAMUS OREGAN : Today is the day that we stop and reflect on our freedoms. But one group of Canadians is doing more than just think. Canada`s Métis war veterans are getting ready to fight again, this time the enemy is the federal government and the issue they say, is post war benefits. Benefits the vets say they were denied. Joining me now from Ottawa in front of the Unknown Soldier is Cliff Chadderton of the National Council of Veterans Associations and Tony Belcourt, from the Métis Nation of Ontairo. Good morning to you both. Tony why don`t I ask you first of all, give us background here. I mean would Métis veterans be denied benefits.

TONY BELCOURT: Well its, the same double standards that Métis have faced all of their lives. We`ve been victims of discrimination ever since the days of Louis Riel so it`s not surprising to me anyway. But I do find it is very painful that once the government did come around to see that it should properly compensate others as war veterans but decided to leave the Métis out of the equation. And that`s a very shameful thing.

SEAMUS OREGAN: But why were aboriginal and Métis peoples, why were they denied benefits in the first place. Because, as you are right, I mean earlier this year aboriginal peoples were given, reinstated benefits but tell me about why all of them were discriminated against in the first place.

TONY BELCOURT: Well first of all, let me make it clear, that Métis people are aboriginal people. The aboriginal peoples in Canada are recogonized in our constitution as being the First Nation, the Métis and the Inuit. As to why our people were denied, I think you have to ask the government about that. I think that this big question to us is why the Minister might be saying we`ve got to go forward to Cabinet to get more money for more machinery and apparatus and funds for the National Defence

SEAMUS OREGAN: Cliff, I want to ask you, you were one of the hands that helped put together the brief to the United Nations, tell me about it, tell me about your argument.

CLIFF CHADDERTON: Well the argument really is that prior to World War Two, the Métis were underpriviledged, second class citizens, didn`t have an opportunity to catch up with rest of society. When the war came along, they were the first to enlist, they in my opinion, and I fought with them, were the best soldiers. After the war they could not take advantage of what was called the Veterans Charter, the university education, the vocational training, that type of thing. And they put up with that for something like fifty years. But what brought it to a head was when Minister Pagtakhan announced on June 6th that there would be compensation for the treaty Indians on the reserves, I was shocked and I said to myself, well we`ve got to do something. I had been dealing with years and years with the National Aboriginal Veterans Association. We had been doing research for probably seven or eight years on this and we`re now able to put together,which I believe a very comprehensive brief to the United Nations. The reason we are going there is because we did it before with the merchant marines and we`ve done it before with the Hong Kong veterans. We know what happens in Geneva and we know the two big words in Geneva, and one of them aboriginal and the other one is discrimination. And believe me, our brief is full of details on both of those aspects.

SEAMUS OREGAN: Tony how many Métis veterans and families of Métis veterans are going to be affected or have been affected by this discrimination.

TONY BELCOURT: Well one of the things that`s tragic for us is without the resources, we`re not able to do the kind of research that is necessary, so that we can determine these types of things. We don`t know exactly but there is countless numbers who aren`t compensated or thought of in any way, who are outside out of all of the loop. We hope that because of this action, we migh

t be able to do some more work. From the Métis National Council point of view, responsible for international issues and I`m going to be offering my support in this effort to the U.N. and hope in January when the Board of Governors of the Métis National Council meet, I will ask the Board of Governors to consider whether or not if we should invite Dr. Stefanhogan, the special repretour (SP?) of the United Nations Human Rights Commission On Indigenous Issues to come to Canada. It`s a big step for us, one we would not take lightly but on the other hand, our patience is wearing very thin.
SEAMUS OREGAN: I have to ask you this being Remembrance Day, does this whole issue just colour it for you.

CLIFF CHADDERTON: This is probably the biggest issue that I have had on Remembrance Day since we fought the Merchant Seaman`s battle and I must say that we are getting tremendous support from the public. With regards to the number of Métis, when an Indian joined the Armed Forces you had a card saying he was an Indian. When a Métis joined the Armed Forces, he was just like anybody else and so nobody really has the figures but we are counting in our submission something like 6-8000 to be compensated. What really would happen is the United Nations would cite Canada for a violation of human rights. That would come over here, our government would have six months to remedy the situation and if they don`t, they would be fined. But we feel that once it has been in the United Naitons and Canada is cited for a violation, that certainly, there would be compensation and there will be discussions with the government.

SEAMUS OREGAN: Cliff, Tony thank you very much for joining us today.
TONY BELCOURT: You`re very welcome.

CLIFF CHADDERTON: My pleasure.

NEWSNET MORNING (CTV-N1), NATIONAL, 11 Nov 02, 08:42
Length: 00:02:10, Ref# 25C667-15 Anchor/Reporters: MARCI IEN, JILL MACYSHON

Canada WAR VETERANS

MARCI IEN : Canada's Métis War Veterans are getting ready for a battle they say they should have won long ago. Their enemy: the federal government. Veterans say they were denied post war benefits offered to other Canadian soldiers, and they want compensation. Now, as CTV's Jill Macyshon reports, they're taking their fight to the United Nations.

JILL MACYSHON: You and your brother.

PAUL THOMAS (VETERAN): Yes, my brother, his name was John.

MACYSHON: In everyone of Paul Thomas' old war pictures, he never stands alone. Here with his brother, his cousin, a friend, always with another Métis soldier, a brother unarmed in a world of chaos. Just 18 years old, at the height of World War II, Thomas was sent to the front lines. One of Canada's courageous young soldiers, he was honoured with six medals for his actions. Despite his exploits on the battle field, Thomas feels like a second class citizen.

THOMAS: I feel forgotten.

MACYSHON: Soldiers returning from the Second World War were offered money and land, by the federal government. The Aboriginal and Métis soldiers though, were excluded from that deal. Recently, the government changed its position, in offering Aboriginal soldiers $20,000 each, for their role. The Métis, though, are not included. A battle to this point fought on Canadian ground, now on the world stage. The multi million dollar fight for post war benefits is before the United Nations.

BRIAN FORBES (METIS VERTANS' LAWYER): We used the United Nations Human Rights Committee, to shame, if you like, the Canadian government, into paying compensation for the Hong Kong Veterans, for the Solidimy Children of Canada.

MACYSHON: With just more than 1,000 Métis veterans alive today, Paul Thomas says time is running out and he still believes he should be paid what he is owed for defending a country he's always loved, even though he says, he's never been treated like he belongs. Jill Macyshon, CTV News, Winnipeg.