Liberal Party issues Métis-specific policy platform and responds to Ontario Métis issues
In February 2015, in anticipation of the federal election scheduled for October, Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) President Gary Lipinski wrote each of the leaders of the federal political parties to ask for a meeting to discuss issues of concern to MNO citizens. To date, President Lipinski has had meetings with representatives from the Conservative, NDP and Liberal parties.
President Lipinski recently appeared on the APTN InFocus news program where he discussed the Federal Election. Click here to view the program.
In August 2015, the Métis National Council (MNC) also distributed a questionnaire to each of the four political parties with seats in the last Parliament. The questionnaire concerned party positions on a variety of issues that impact the Métis Nation.
To date, the Liberal, NDP and Green parties have all responded. Click here to read what the parties are saying. If other responses are received prior to the election, they will also be circulated.
In addition to these questionnaire responses, the Liberal Party has issued a Métis-specific policy platform. Click here to read the policy. As a follow-up to this Liberal policy announcement, President Lipinski had a call with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau on September 28, 2015, to discuss Ontario Métis issues as well as the recently announced Métis-specific Liberal policy. Mr. Trudeau then wrote to President Lipinski outlining the topics they discussed and outlining the Liberal Party’s positions on these topics. Click here to view a copy of the letter.
President Lipinski said, “I am encouraged that a majority of the federal parties have made specific commitments to the Métis Nation in this election. The Liberal Party’s Métis-specific policy is particularly encouraging and demonstrates the increasing importance of the Métis vote. I encourage all MNO citizens to take the time to read what the parties and your local candidates are saying on Métis issues.”
“Ontario Métis have the potential to make the difference in several key ridings where we have significant population bases across the province. The difference between who is the government and who is the opposition may very well rest on Métis votes in just a few of those seats, so I encourage all of our citizens to make your vote count in this important federal election,” concluded President Lipinski.