Submitted by: Paul Robitaille, MNO Youth Council Region 2 Representative
(L-R) Jean Camirand, President, Thunder Bay Métis
Council and Paul Robitaille, MNO Youth Council Region 2
Representative. Click here to view a larger version.
The newly-elected Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) Thunder Bay Métis Council (TBMC) wasted no time in getting down to business when they sat down for their inaugural meeting on June 14, 2016. As their first official action, the MNO TBMC voted by consensus in favour of a historic resolution that will guarantee long-term financial support for youth-focused initiatives, both at the local and provincial levels.
Originally tabled by MNO Youth Council Region 2 Representative Paul Robitaille, the resolution ensures that a minimum of 25% of any future payments received by the MNO TBMC through negotiated agreements with natural resource related proponents, including mining, forestry, and energy companies, will be directly allocated towards opportunities and initiatives that benefit Métis youth. While 15% will be earmarked for programming in the Thunder Bay area, 10% will be gifted to the MNO Youth Council to support their ongoing efforts to engage and empower Métis youth across the province. This marks the first time that a chartered community council has provided a long-term financial commitment to the MNO Youth Council.
When asked about the Council’s motivation for passing the resolution, MNO TBMC President Jean Camirand said that he has “always stated most emphatically that the youth are our future and that we must all work together to encourage and support all of the great work they do within our communities and across the Métis Nation. In the minds of our Council, this resolution was the least we could do to help ensure their efforts are able to continue.”
Upon hearing of the resolution’s passing, MNO Youth Council President Mitch Case, commented, “I am so excited by this resolution. Since the founding of the MNO, the leadership at all levels have made space for youth at the table. The youth have always responded and have worked to build our own capacity to give back to the MNO. This kind of meaningful investment from the Thunder Bay Métis Council is exactly the kind of insightful thinking that has made the MNO one of the leading Métis Governments in the Homeland. I commend everyone involved, for their commitment to our young people, and to our shared future.”
Anyone wishing to find out more about the MNO TBMC and its upcoming events is encouraged to visit the Council’s website at https://thunderbaymetiscouncil.com/ or contact them directly at thunderbaymetis@hotmail.com. More information about the MNO Youth Council can be found at /governance/governing-structure/mnoyc-youth/.
Published on: July 26, 2016