PCMNO passes Resolution on Plebiscite results Next Steps
The Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO) met on March 8, 2023, and approved a resolution setting out the next steps for the Plebiscite results. A copy of the full resolution is available here.
While the PCMNO has not officially called a special General Assembly pursuant to the notice requirements in the MNO Bylaws yet, it wants to make MNO citizens aware that a date and location for a soon to be called special General Assembly has been identified:
Saturday, June 17, 2023 (10 AM – 4 PM EST)
Delta Airport Hotel (655 Dixon Rd)
Toronto, Ontario
The PCMNO remains committed to following through on the direction from the MNO Registry Review process that was initiated in 2017, the 2022 MNO Annual General Assembly and the recent province-wide Plebiscite results where 8,270 MNO citizens voted and all MNO citizens (with “Complete” and “Incomplete” citizenship files) were provided an opportunity to vote. No MNO citizen filed a valid objection to the Plebiscite results with the Chief Electoral Officer under section 18 of the MNO Registry Review Province-wide Plebiscite Vote Guidelines.
Consistent with this direction, the special General Assembly will be held for the sole purpose of voting on a special resolution to amend the MNO Bylaws and Registry Policy in order to allow for the removal of “Incomplete” MNO citizenship files from the MNO Registry. Only MNO citizens in physical attendance at the special General Assembly will be allowed to vote. Voting will occur via ballot box.
An agenda, special resolution, rules for the conduct of the special General Assembly, and official notice call are currently being developed and will be extensively circulated in the next month or so. In addition, the potential for an independent Chair and/or Chief Electoral Officer to oversee and conduct the special General Assembly and ballot box vote at the special General Assembly is being explored.
The PCMNO has also directed that the MNO will not directly engage or negotiate with any MNO citizen, groups of MNO citizens or third parties purporting to represent MNO citizens on the special General Assembly or in relation to specific citizenship files. The MNO cannot grant additional participatory rights to some MNO citizens in this process.
Throughout the six-year Registry Review process, the MNO has been advancing the collective will of citizens and communities in order to advance Métis rights. Province-wide elections were held following the initiation of the Registry Review in 2017 where this issue was a part of the campaign. Numerous MNO Annual General Assemblies have provided direction on this issue. Extensive province-wide consultations were undertaken and the recent province-wide Plebiscite provided clear direction on this issue.
With the upcoming special General Assembly, the MNO will ensure it meets all corporate and legal requirements owing to MNO citizens. However, it must be remembered that these efforts are directed at advancing the will of the distinct Métis collective the MNO represents in furtherance of Métis rights and self-government. As the Ontario Superior Court of Justice noted when some MNO citizens attempted to challenge the MNO’s ability to undertake the Registry Review, these decisions are not intended to:
target specific individuals or families but to advance it’s [MNO’s] collective “aims and objectives” so as to better position itself to establish Métis s. 35 rights and ultimately negotiate a self-government agreement. (Green v. Métis Nation of Ontario, 2021 ONSC 5808, para 13)
The MNO continues to encourage all MNO citizens with “Incomplete” citizenship files to contact the MNO Registry in order to “Complete” their citizenship file. The MNO Registry can be reached at info@mnoregistry.ca or by phone at 613-798-1006 (local) or 1-855-798-1006 (Toll Free).
The MNO has also created this dedicated webpage with information about the special General Assembly that will be updated regularly: www.metisnation.org/2023specialassembly.