Update on Métis Harvesting

Edmonton, April 20, 2009

MEMORANDUM

TO: Métis Nation of Alberta Members

FROM: President Audrey Poitras

DATE: April 20, 2009

RE: Update on Métis Harvesting
Métis Rights Celebration Feast – May 3rd (Medicine Hat)
Start of Métis Harvesting Rights Trial – May 4th (Medicine Hat)As I informed you in my last update, our rights lawyers – Jason Madden and Jean Teillet – asked the Alberta Provincial Court in February 2009 to adjourn all of the existing Métis harvesting rights cases pending the outcome of our harvesting rights lawsuit against the Alberta Government or to consolidate all of the harvesting charges across the province into one case. Unfortunately, Judge Maher of the Alberta Provincial Court refused to grant the requested adjournment and did not believe he had the jurisdiction to consolidate all of the cases together without the Crown’s consent. Of course, the Alberta Crown refused to consent to consolidating all of these cases.

Rather than appealing Judge Maher’s decision, our lawyers have recommended proceeding with the trial of the three Medicine Hat cases (Ron Jones, Bruce Bates and Garry Hirsekorn) that are scheduled to start in May 2009. Through these cases we will put forward the Métis perspective that the Alberta Métis community spans the entire province and that the trial judge should not draw arbitrary lines or create fictional “Métis communities” in Alberta.

Essentially, this trial is going to be about all Alberta Métis as well as the Métis Nation as a whole. As such, Métis men, women, Elders and harvesters from throughout the province will be travelling down to Medicine Hat in order to testify and share our story. Métis citizens from northern, central and southern Alberta will all take the stand to talk about our family connections throughout the province, our mobility, our unique culture and language, our identity, our way of life as an Aboriginal people, and our harvesting practices. We are confident that through the voluminous amounts of historic and contemporary evidence that will be put before the court, the trial judge will see that our community should not be arbitrarily carved up and our harvesting rights throughout the province should be recognized and affirmed.

Without question, the start of this trial will be an exciting moment in our history as Métis in Alberta! In recognition of this, the MNA, in collaboration with MNA Region 3 and Local 8 in Medicine Hat will be hosting a Métis Rights Celebration Feast on Sunday, May 3rd in Medicine Hat. All MNA members are welcome to attend in order to show your support for Métis rights and our ‘hunt for justice’. Additional details on the event will be sent out later in the month, but mark your calendars.

The Trial will start at 9:00 a.m. on May 4th at the Medicine Hat Courthouse located at 460 First Street SE. I encourage as many MNA members and friends of the Métis to attend as a show of support for our fight for Métis rights and justice in this province.

As well, I encourage every member who can to make a contribution to the MNA’s Legal Defence Fund to lend their support. This case is about all Alberta Métis and protecting our rights for future generations so if you are able to help, please make a contribution. You can send in cheques or money orders made out to the “MNA Métis Legal Defence Fund” to the MNA Head Office. The MNA is accepting donations on their website at www.albertametis.ca through PayPal. Also we are accepting donations by cheque to the following address:

Métis Nation of Alberta Harvester’s Defense Fund
11738 Kingsway Ave
Edmonton, AB T5G 0X5

I also encourage you to continue to write to Premier Ed Stelmach and your local MLA to express your displeasure with Ted Morton’s flawed Métis harvesting policy and general disrespect for the Métis people in Alberta. We should not underestimate the power of writing to elected leadership. Moreover, we know that Alberta Métis still have friends in the current Alberta Government who continue to question what Ted Morton has done on the Métis harvesting file.

When you write or talk to elected provincial leadership, the MNA believes the following questions need to be asked: In these times of economic hardship, is it a good use of hardworking Alberta taxpayer money to fight the Métis in this province in the courts? We should also ask the question of whether Ted Morton is planning on personally reimbursing the MNA and the Alberta taxpayers the money he is costing us when he is proven wrong in the courts? The MNA and Métis citizens are putting their money where their mouth is, why should Ted Morton not have to do the same?

I continue to believe that many MLAs and members of the Alberta Government do not think what is being done to Alberta Métis is fair or right. We need to rally those supporters the same way Morton has rallied his. We know that Ted Morton will ultimately be proven wrong on the issue of Métis harvesting rights, but we continue to hold out hope that our longstanding partner – the Alberta Government – will change course on this issue and begin to work with Alberta Métis once again to ensure our harvesting rights are recognized and respected.

I look forward to seeing as many people as possible in Medicine Hat!