TORONTO --- An agreement-in-principle has been reached by all five members of the Métis National Council (MNC) Board of Governors (BOG) and past-President Clement Chartier to hold elections for MNC President at a General Assembly in Ottawa on February 23 -24, 2008. The agreement was reached in Toronto yesterday at a “settlement conference” before Justice Todd Ducharme of the Superior Court of Ontario. The settlement conference was directed by the court at the request of four of the five BOG members in December.

“The decision about when and how to hold elections for our National President was made by Métis people and not the mainstream courts and I am very grateful that our position in this matter has prevailed,” said Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) President, Tony Belcourt, who was speaking at a News Conference on behalf of the four members of the Board of Governors who were the “defendants” in the court case brought by Past MNC President Clement Chartier and Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand. The other members of the Board of Governors include Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) President, Bruce Dumont; Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) President Audrey Poitras; and, Métis Nation – Saskatchewan (MN-S) President Robert Doucette.

“We are thankful to have had a Métis Judge to facilitate our settlement conference and assist us in achieving this agreement,” said MNBC President Bruce Dumont. “Our concern is to get to an Assembly as quickly as possible, hold elections and then restore the strength and value of the Métis Nation to its proper place. I am pleased that we are now able to move ahead with the full support of all five members of the Board of Governors.”

“To us the issue has always been about self-government and that means that we, ourselves, decide on our issues and not the courts of mainstream Canada. To go to the courts undermines all of our positions that we are a self-governing people. Keeping the decision on the issues of election of our National President in our hands and out of the courts is considered by us to be of monumental significance to the Métis Nation. I am very pleased that we worked this out amongst ourselves and that we can now move forward on behalf of the Nation,” said MNA President Audrey Poitra

“I’m concerned about what all of this has been costing the Métis Nation at a time when we should be focusing or directing every available dollar to fighting for our harvesting and land rights, instead of attempting to get the courts to intervene in our decision-making process,” said MN-S Robert Doucette. “It is important that we work together to restore a positive working relationship amongst ourselves and to put all of our efforts into collectively addressing our issues with the federal government. To me, this agreement means we can finally get things back on the right track,” added Doucette.

CONTACT:
Katelin Peltier
Acting Manager of Communications
Work: 613-798-1488 Ext. 108
Cell: 613-859-7130

Or:
Bruce Dumont –MNBC….…604-219-0157
Audrey Poitras – MNA ….…780-490-8188
Robert Doucette – MN-S…..306-343-8285
Tony Belcourt – MNO…...…613-798-1488