Dear Citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario,
As Chief Electoral Officer responsible for overseeing the conduct of the Métis Nation of Ontario’s (MNO) Registry Review Province-wide Plebiscite (click here to be taken to the main Plebiscite page), it is my pleasure to announce the opening of voting today. Voting commenced at 8:30 AM (ET) and it will close on Sunday January 22, 2023, at 6:00PM (ET). In August 2022, the MNO Annual General Assembly adopted a resolution directing the MNO to conduct a province-wide vote on the following question:
Should all existing members/citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the MNO Secretariat, whose files do not meet the current requirements for citizenship as set out in the MNO Bylaws and Registry Policy, be removed as members/citizens?
Starting today, all registered MNO Citizens – irrespective of their citizenship file status – who are sixteen years of age or older, and not subject to voting limitations under the MNO Bylaws, have the opportunity to have their voice heard by voting either “Yes” or “No” to the plebiscite question. You may vote by mail-in paper ballot, electronically, or by telephone. Information packages with detailed instructions on the various voting methods will be mailed out to the home addresses of registered MNO citizens. I have also included a link to the same information packages. Furthermore, if you have any questions about the vote itself or background on the vote, I have included another link to our frequently asked questions. If you did not receive or lost your voter information package, you may contact the team at the Chief Electoral Office up until January 12, 2023, to request a mail-in Paper Ballot and/or PIN for Telephone or Electronic Voting.
As the Chief Electoral Officer responsible for overseeing the conduct of the plebiscite in accordance with the MNO Registry Review Province-Wide Plebiscite Vote Guidelines, my team and I are here to answer any questions that you may have. We can be contacted by phone at 1-800-263-4889 ext. 344 and via email at plebiscite@metisnation.org.
If you have any questions specific to the status of your MNO citizenship file, including questions about how to complete your file, you may contact the MNO Registry Team via phone at 1-855-798-1006 (toll free) or 613-798-1006 (local number), or email at info@mnoregistry.ca.
My team and I thank you for your participation and we wish you the best of the Holiday Season.
Sincerely,
Paul DeVillers
Chief Electoral Officer
FURTHER INFORMATION:
- NOTICE OF VOTE: Province-wide Plebiscite on Next Steps Related to Registry Review
- Province-wide Plebiscite webpage: full details on voting plus background and context on the MNO Registry and Self-Government Readiness Review