McGuinty Government Fails to Uphold Agreement on Metis Harvesting Rights in Ontario

TORONTO (November 14, 2005) --- The Metis Nation of Ontario (MNO) has been forced back into the courts to defend its citizens who have been charged for various hunting and fishing offenses contrary to the terms of an historic agreement reached between the MNO and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) last year on July 7, 2004. Today, lawyers for the MNO and the Metis citizens involved released documents it has filed in court to request a stay of proceedings in light of Ontario's breach of the constitutional rights of the Metis as established in a number of decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada, including R v. Powley.

"The Government of Ontario has failed to uphold its clear promise to us that our people would not be charged in exercising their constitutional right to hunt and fish for food in their traditional territories in Ontario and that is deeply troubling", said Tony Belcourt, President of the Metis Nation of Ontario. "I felt pride in the agreement we struck last year with the personal involvement of the Hon. David Ramsay, Minister of Natural Resources, Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant and senior officials of the Premier's office. Unfortunately, since then, MNR officials have successfully undermined our agreement and we are now forced back into the courts. We should not be in court, but since we are, we have no choice but to ask the courts to throw out the charges and to force the Government of Ontario to live up to its agreement with us," Mr. Belcourt added.

Gary Lipinski, MNO Chair and Chief Negotiator, said: "At a meeting on October 25th with Premier Dalton McGuinty, Minister Ramsey, Metis Nation of Ontario leaders and the Chiefs of Ontario, while talking about the water crisis in Kashechewan, Premier McGuinty said to us when referencing government responsibilities to that situation: 'it is important to honour agreements'. We now call upon the Premier and his government to honour its agreement with the MNO, stop charging our people, taking food away from their families and forcing us into the courts."

The Notice of Application and Constitutional Issue and all related exhibits filed in the Ontario Court of Justice are available on the MNO website at: www.metisnation.org.

Contact:
Katelin Peltier
Communications Officer
Tel: 613-798-1488 ext. 108
Cell: 613-859-7130