Powley Case
Tributes
The Powley's Lawyer Jean Teillet talked about Steve and his legacy in this interview with CBC Sudbury
POINTS NORTH (CBCS-FM), SUDBURY, 25 Feb 04 REACH:12,000, 17:16,
Length: 00:05:00,
Ref# 38775B-6, Anchor/Reporters: DAN LESSARD
DAN LESSARD: This week the man who won his battle for Métis hunting
rights lost his battle with diabetes. Steve Powley of Sault Ste.
Marie died Monday. He led a ten year battle to have Métis hunting
rights recognized and he and took his case all the way to the Supreme
Court of Canada. And last year, the country's highest court took
his side. Jean Teillet is the lawyer who helped Steve Powley in
his fight through the courts. And we`ve reached her in Toronto.
Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon.
JEAN TELLIET: Your welcome, its great to be here.
DAN LESSARD Take us back to what prompted this decades long court
fight to get Métis hunting rights recognized. How did Steve Powley
start all this?
JEAN TELLIET : You know Steve started this October 29th, 1993. He
and his son Roddy went hunting and really the genesis of the case
is that Steve stood up for the first time in his life and decided
to bring his home in the daylight. It's sort of a reflection of,
really the way many aboriginal people live in this country, is that
they practise their customs and traditions in secret. And so Steve
decided he had enough of that and that he was going to bring his
winter meat home right in the daylight which he did and some one,
one of his neighbours promptly called Crimestoppers on him. And
thus began what I call the Métis Hunt for Justice and that case
went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada and on September
19th just last year the Supreme Court as did the other judges below,
ruled in favour of Steve and his son Roddy and found that Métis
have harvesting rights in this province.
DAN LESSARD : It was a very long and difficult journey and his health
was not always the best going through this. I remember when I interviewed
him, he was in the wheelchair if I recall.
JEAN TELLIET; Yes.
DAN LESSARD : What do you think kept him going?
JEAN TELLIET: What kept his going, I think he was a man with a mission
and his health was not good. And it's also a very traumatic thing
to take on. It's very tense. You are carrying the weight of , you
know 300,000 people across this country on your shoulders. That's
no small little case to carry for ten years and Steve carried it
with grace and dignity despite very, very bad health.
DAN LESSARD: What did he say to you as he was going through this
very long case, what did he share about the challenges he was facing?
JEAN TELLIET He, there was a couple of times when quite honestly,
Steve didn't think he'd make it through. And I talked to him a couple
of times when he was afraid he wouldn't be able to be there at the
end. But what we always said was that we started this together and
we were going to finish it together. And we did. And I am very happy
he was still here on September 19th when the decision came down.
Because I think, as you know Steve passed away two days ago and
I think that Steve died knowing that he did something good for this
people and it's no small thing. And he should be proud.
DAN LESSARD : At what point along the journey did he want to give
up.
JEAN TELLIET; I don't think he wanted to give up, I think it was
just a battle with his health. And he's you know, been very unwell,
even from the trial, he was not well then and it just deteriorated.
DAN LESSARD What do you think his victory is doing for Métis people?
JEAN TELLIET: Oh I don't think we even really know what it's going
to mean in the end. It's so new and its such a fundamental change
in the law of this country, that I think we will be quite a long
time sorting out what this case has done for the Métis people but
at a bare minimum, what it has done is made governments across the
country have to sit down and actually start working with recognizing
and dealing with Métis people which they have been adamantly refusing
to do before. They wouldn't even talk to Métis people. And know,
that's what's happening. And I think one of the clearest results
so far is we have a what we call a multi lateral discussion going
on right now which is provincial representatives and federal representatives
sitting down and talking about it, exactly this, what does this
case mean and what are we going to do about it now. I think all
governments recognize that they have fundamentally have to change
their policies now. And so we have to figure out how to do that
and what is the right thing to do. And some people have said some
good things to us, like you know, well we haven't done very good
with Indians so far, maybe we can get it right with the Métis. So
we are hopeful.
DAN LESSARD: Over the time you knew Steve Powley did he become more
than just a client to you?
JEAN TELLIET Oh very much, so. Steve was somebody I came to admire
a great deal. And he as a friend. We talked, and now this was never
just a client relationship, he was never that and his family has
always been marvelous. They were times when I would come to Sault
Ste. Marie and I would have to whip to the plane out of court and
go back somewhere else, and Steve and his son Roddy and sometimes
Brenda would arrive at the airport with moose meat burgers for me
because they knew I had been all day without eating. They were a
marvelous, warm, friendly, gracious family.
DAN LESSARD And what are you going to remember and miss the most
about Steve Powley.
JEAN TELLIET: Well I think, I don't thing I will ever be able to
look at a jersey milk chocolate bar again without thinking about
Steve. Everyday and every single level of court, Steve arrived every
day and brought me a chocolate bar. And it's just a small thing,
but he knew I liked chocolate and he like chocolate too. And it
wasn't a big fancy gift or anything, just a small little way of
saying something that he was there and thinking about me. And I
think I will carry that, but I also, he was a man with a wonderful
smile and so much dignity, so I think I will remember him for lots
and lots of reasons.
DAN LESSARD: Jean Telliet, thank you for joining us today.
JEAN TELLIET: You are welcome.
DAN LESSARD: Good bye. Jean Teillet is the lawyer for the Métis
Nation and represented Steve Powley in court. Steve Powley passed
away Monday from complications related to diabetes, he was 56.
WORDS: 1177
Transcript Order: 67408 Id: 38775B-6 Sent: 25 Mar 04 09:11AM
|
