PCMNO Recap Report:
Hybrid PCMNO Meeting Held
December 11, 2023
On December 11, 2023 a hybrid meeting of the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO) was held with elected MNO leadership, staff and citizens attending the in-person and online session. The President’s Update highlighted the many events that have taken place across the MNO since the November PCMNO meeting, and President Froh praised the great work of MNO communities and citizens for continuing to voice their support of Bill C-53 and MNO self-government. Also providing updates to the PCMNO were members of MNO staff and consultants, who gave recommendations on proposed policies such as climate change, MNO governance compensation frameworks and the approaching 2024 election. Following these updates, PCMNO adjourned for an in-camera session.
President’s Update
President Froh
President Froh began her update by commending all the work taking place across the MNO, including recent community gatherings, Annual General Meetings, upcoming workshops, and the many MNO programs and services being rolled out across the province during this busy time of year.
Unable to attend the PCMNO meeting in person, President Froh updated the PCMNO on her intentions to meet that day with Minister Rickford, with whom she will emphasise the importance of bringing together all PCMNO, Minister Rickford and the Ontario premier in a push to further develop meaningful relationships with Ontario.
On a national level, the President acknowledged the upcoming meetings with the Métis National Council (MNC); including an MNC Board of Governors meeting, the MNC’s Annual General Meeting and a celebration in honour of the MNC’s 40th anniversary. Many other relevant events relating to Métis governance were referenced, including next steps in the ‘clause-by-clause’ review of Bill C-53 by the INAN Committee. Capitalizing on the increased Métis presence in Ottawa, President Froh expressed her hope to fill the gallery with Métis people and demonstrate to the Committee just how significant this legislation is to Métis communities and governments.
PCMNO Role Profiles
President Froh, Secretary-Treasurer Young, and Stefano Biscotti and Mona Ahamadi, Mercer
As referenced in the previous PCMNO meeting, the MNO has been in the process of developing “Role Profiles” for elected leadership and citizens interested in serving on the PCMNO. This will encompass all PCMNO positions, including President and CEO, Chair and Vice-Chair, Regional Councilors, Senators, Executive Senators, Secretary-Treasurer, Post-Secondary and Youth Reps, etc. Due to time constraints, the circulation and review of these Role Profiles was delayed. However, prior to the MNO business break over the holidays, members of the PCMNO will receive draft profiles relevant to their position and will reconvene in January for a more fulsome review.
A workshop and special PCMNO meeting will be held in January to discuss and approve the “Role Profiles” well in advance of the upcoming election in 2024. Role Profiles will also be made available on the MNO website.
MNO Climate Change Strategy Development
Krista Clement, Subject Specialist Lead, Environment and Climate Change, Rights, Research and Policy
Staff representing the MNO Rights, Research and Policy (RRP) Branch attended the PCMNO Meeting to provide policy updates and seek direction from PCMNO on key files such as Climate Change Strategies, Indian Residential Schools and Anti-Hate policy.
RRP Subject Specialist Lead presented on MNO’s Climate Change Strategies, including background and previous climate change engagement; as well as approaches to strategy and action plan development. To advance this work, the MNO has received funding supports from CIRNAC/ECCC’s Indigenous Climate Leadership program to develop MNO Climate Change Strategy and Regional Action Plans. RRP has been working closely with MNO Lands, Resources and Consultations on this file and will be engaging Shared Value Solutions to further the work.
The presentation also highlighted previous engagement (including a variety of climate and health forums); and citizen priorities, which range from climate change, food sovereignty, emergency preparedness, political advocacy, and more. These priorities are region and eco-system specific.
Proposed climate change strategies and action plans were broken down into three levels:
- Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy – to identify MNO wide sectoral priorities and align with MNO Statement of Prime Purpose
- Regional Action Plans – Highlight priorities and needs relevant to each region
- Secretariat Action Plans – Streamlines priorities across MNO operations, programs and policies
MNO staff and leadership discussed the importance of formalizing climate strategy and action plans; as well as approaches and timelines associated with MNO strategy development, regional action plan development and Secretariat action plan development. RRP proposed a series of workshops held with MNO leadership, councils and wider community to increase engagement.
MNO Indian Residential School Update and Anti-Hate Legislation
Edmond Burgie, Subject Specialist Lead –Self Government, Rights, Research and Policy
MNO Indian Residential School Update
In December 2021, the MNO received funding from the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs Ontario (IAO) for the Ontario Residential School Fund. This funding has enabled the MNO to initiate and action a Métis specific strategy on the Métis Residential School Experience in Ontario.
RRP staff provided an update to PCMNO regarding investigations and ongoing research, and anticipated next steps. The MNO has collaborated with Know History to conduct and guide the research and have identified four key phases to inform the work. In phase one, MNO contracted Know History to conduct archival research into Métis experiences in Ontario’s residential schools and gain a sense of what broader effects these experiences had on Métis communities in Ontario. Now entering phase two, the MNO and Know History will conduct virtual community presentations and look to work with MNO communities to interview survivors and intergenerational survivors for a more holistic understanding of Métis experiences.
An All Leadership Presentation will take place in the new year and will outline the mental health and wellness supports in place, and explain the background research conducted by Know History. The presentation will also emphasise the importance of engaging oral history from Métis survivors, as well as contextualise the ongoing work on identification, commemoration and repatriation throughout the process. Finally, the presentation will conclude with the communication and educational materials being developed to promote awareness of the Métis Residential School Experience.
Ontario’s Anti-Racism Strategy Update
Prior to the PCMNO meeting, leadership reviewed a briefing note detailing MNO engagement on the government of Ontario’s Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism strategies. The MNO is currently looking to begin its second round of engagement with citizens in order to provide input on Ontario’s revised Anti-Racism Directorate (ARD) Strategy to better address Métis experiences with hate and racism.
The engagement strategy formally began at the 2022 AGA with the distribution of the ARD Strategy Fact Sheet outlining high level information and directing citizens to sources providing additional information. Following the first round of engagement focused on Anti-Racism, the RRP Branch is now in the process of planning one-hour engagement sessions via Zoom with the youth, women and 2SLGTBQ+ working groups. Information regarding the proposed survey and future engagement sessions will be made available in early 2024.
Other Business
Loma Rowlinson, Manager, Community Relations and Elizabeth Harvey, Director of Intergovernmental Relations
The Manager of Community Relations provided PCMNO with a high level review of four briefing notes, including Clerical Updates to Community Council Governing Documents; Thunder Bay and District Métis Council (TBDMC) Amendment to Community Code: Section 26; Updating Council Community Codes (By-Laws) to Define “Transact any Business;” and Updating Article 23 Quorum – Community Council Codes.
Clerical Updates to Community Council Governing Documents
As noted by the Manager of Community Relations, a number of the Community Council governing documents require small administrative and or clerical updates. These updates include correcting spelling, grammar, and ensuring consistent formatting (font size, capitalizations, etc.). The expressed goal is to ensure the Community Council governing documents align and are in compliance with the MNO’s governing documents and phrases are spelled in the same way in all council by-laws.
Community Relations sought PCMNO approval to review and edit the documents as necessary. The following Resolution was passed:
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO) directs Community Relations to make administrative and clerical updates to Community Council governing documents to ensure that all documents use consistent spelling, grammar and formatting in line with Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) governing documents, and that this work will be completed, including replacing documents on the MNO website, before the end of March 2024. For greater certainty, this resolution in no way permits Community Relations to make any changes of substance to Community Council governing documents beyond administrative and clerical fixes.
RESOLVED BY CONSENSUS (PC231128-02)
Thunder Bay and District Métis Council (TBDMC) Amendment to Community Code: Section 26
During the 2023 the Thunder Bay and District Métis Council (TBDMC) Annual General Meeting (AGM) a motions was passed to include a “clear and complete Criminal Record Check” to Section 26 of their Community Code (Bylaws). As a result, Community Relations (CR) indicated the TBDMC Community Code Section 26 needs to be amended and footnoted to record this change.
CR shared the TBDMC Code amendment with PCMNO to fulfil council obligation under Section 48 of their Community Code which states: “This Community Code shall be registered with the PCMNO. Amendments shall be forwarded to the PCMNO within 30 days. In the event of any dispute, the Community Code in the possession of PCMNO and bearing the latest date shall be considered valid.”
Updating Council Community Codes (By-Laws) to Define “Transact any business”
Community Relations (CR) recommended adding a new definition to Council Community Codes to clarify the phrase “transact any business,” and avoid future conflicts and misinterpretations by communities and councils. It is the responsibility of the Community Council executive to ensure citizens’ voices are included. Recent citizen complaints revealed that some councils were preventing citizens from participating in meetings by not allowing them to move motions or vote. The misinterpretation of “transact any business” led to this exclusion.
The MNO legal department confirmed that the councils were not following their governing documents. A letter of clarification was provided to the council in question, affirming that citizens have the right to move motions and vote at any community general meeting, including the Annual General Meeting. PCMNO also discussed a draft definition of “transact any business” to be reviewed by MNO legal counsel and set as an action item.
Updating Article 23 Quorum – Community Council Codes
Finally, Community Relations (CR) conducted a review of all Community Council Codes to ensure compliance with MNO By-laws and identify grammar corrections. Article 44.c of the Council Community Code sets the quorum at 50% plus one for community meetings. However, there are ten community council bylaws that conflict with the PCMNO meetings, where the quorum falls below the minimum threshold. The MNO Bylaws do not allow councils to reduce quorum below the defined threshold for Annual General Meetings. The council electoral officer must adhere to council governing documents, including ensuring accurate quorum for elections.
Following a discussion, CR sought approval from the PCMNO to proceed with updates to quorum as identified in the document and appendices. A draft resolution was proposed directing that the Community Relations team updates all Community Council Codes to ensure that Section 23 reflects a minimum quorum of 50% + 1 of the number of citizens that compose the council, indicated in Section 8 of the Council’s Community Code.
National Updates
Jennifer St. Germain, CSO and Joanne Meyer, COO
Prior to the meeting, PCMNO were provided with details regarding the December Metis National Council (MNC) Board of Governors meeting, MNC General Assembly, and several draft resolutions for review by senior officials. These identified key shared policy priorities for Métis governments, including advancing files on areas such as child and family services, environment and climate change, health legislation, international relations, education, and Bill C-53.
Additionally, the CSO shared plans for the General Assembly which will review audited financial statements for ratification, engage in strategic planning processes, and receive updates from committees such as Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak, veterans and youth.
The Chief Operating Officer referenced work taking place with Canada on health legislation, focused on a distinctions based approach; as well as developments on the Indigenous Health Fund and ongoing work with Ontario and Canada. Following a recent meeting with Indigenous Services Canada, the COO shared that the MNO will be receiving $2,275,000 every year for over ten years to implement an Indigenous health service for Métis citizens supported by the Health Equity Fund. Additionally, the MNO will continue working with Ontario on identifying priorities and developing a plan to advance and improve Métis health outcomes.