Powley Case
Tributes

A Métis Hero Passes Away

Métis Provincial Council of British Columbia - Media Release
February 23, 2004

Early this morning Steve Powley passed away in his fifty sixth year after a long battle with diabetes. He is survived by his wife Brenda, his four children, Paul, Evelyn, Roderick and Kimberley and three grand-children, Jerri-Lee, Anthony and Aaron.

In 1992, Steve Powley and his son, Roddy, shot a moose without a license near Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario. The Ontario government prosecuted Steve and Roddy all the way through the courts in Ontario and to the Supreme Court of Canada. There the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed what all Métis knew – that Métis Nation possesses collective aboriginal rights, including the right to harvest.

“Steve Powley is a hero to the Métis people in Canada,” said Harley Desjarlais, President of the Métis Provincial Council of British Columbia. “His perseverance, wisdom and dedication have forever ensured that Métis people’s rights will no longer be ignored by government.”

Steve’s passing is particularly difficult for Harley. “Steve became a personal friend to me over the years. I will miss my friend. His legacy as a Métis Icon will be forever remembered."