Metis Settlement Veteran goes to Juno Beach for Honour Ceremony

November 9, 2009

85 year-old Charlie St. Germain from Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement traveled to Courseulles-sur-Mer, France to the Juno Beach Centre for a November 11^th ceremony honouring Metis Veterans who served in the world wars. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, a massive Allied force including 14,000 young Canadians landed on the beaches of Normandy to assist France in war times struggles. Amongst those soldiers were many Metis who fought side by side with other Canadians.

After nearly 70 years, Mr. St. Germain will see his brother's burial site in Italy after the Metis ceremony in Juno Beach. He will be accompanied by his son, Derrold St. Germain, Metis Settlements General Council President, Mr. Gerald Cunningham and MSGC Elected Executive Secretary, Mrs. Susan Cardinal-Lamouche.

Mr. Cunningham states, “It is a great honour and privilege to be able to accompany our Metis veteran and elder who has so graciously and courageously put his life on the line for all of us, to be part of the ceremonies at Juno Beach. In addition to travelling to Juno Beach, Mr. St. Germain will travel to Italy to close a chapter in his life by visiting his brother’s burial site and paying homage to his brother who fought in the war and who lost his life in action.”

MSGC appreciates the Metis National Council for the organization of the event and for welcoming Metis Settlement Veteran, his son and Executives to participate in this important ceremony. Mr. St. Germain will also have the opportunity to meet the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs during his visit.  Mr. St. Germain’s journey will be documented in a two-part segment on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network on Metis Veterans. The first segment will be aired on November 9, 2009 and the second segment will be aired in late November.

Metis Settlements of Alberta has a population of 9000 members on a land base of 1.25 million acres. The Settlements in Alberta are the only land-based Metis in all of Canada. Gerald Cunningham, President of the Metis Settlements will be available for comments immediately following the ceremony. 

For more information please contact:

Mr. Garry Parenteau at (613) 323-2619

Ms. Jaime Koebel (613) 290-8597

Métis Settlement members graduate from the Aboriginal Shield Program

November 9, 2009

For the first time since the inception of the RCMP’s Aboriginal Shield Program in 2002, Métis are amongst 27 Aboriginal graduates to successfully complete the training for a program designed to support drug and alcohol awareness and prevention in schools within Aboriginal communities. Three Metis Settlement members graduated from the program at a ceremony held in Ottawa, Ontario on November 6^th, 2009. The recent graduates from Fishing Lake Metis Settlement are Ann Fayant, Lorne Dustow and Leon Cardinal. They will be working with the J.F. Dion School at Fishing Lake, Alberta to introduce the program.

The RCMP and the Métis Settlements of Alberta have been working together in recent years to have more RCMP presence and programming in Métis Settlements. The Aboriginal Shield Program will be in Métis communities across Canada for the first time and will prove to compliment the RCMP protocol that was signed in October 2009 with “K” Division in Alberta.

The Aboriginal Shield Program is directed at elementary schools with a focus on grades 5 and 6 to bring awareness of crime prevention and drugs and alcohol. The three recent Metis Settlement graduates will now have the opportunity to pass on their knowledge and train others in their community. The program had eight original sites in various parts of Canada that included First Nations and Inuit communities. With the regenerated interest in the program, the Metis Settlements General Council welcomed the program as being truly inclusive of all three Aboriginal peoples as identified in the Constitution of Canada, 1982.  The inclusiveness of the program contributes to its success in providing a means of prevention towards of goal of greater security on Settlements and for all Canadians. 

Metis Settlements General Council is the political body that represents the only land based Metis in Canada. With a population of approximately 9,000 members, the 8 Settlements span over 1.25 million acres of land in Alberta.

For more information please contact:

Maddy Daniels at 1-888-213-4400 or

Garry Parenteau at (613) 323-2619

MEDIA RELEASE

National Aboriginal Health Organization signs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Metis Settlements General Council

08/26/2008

MEDIA RELEASE

August 14, 2008 - For immediate release

National Aboriginal Health Organization signs

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Agreement with

Metis Settlements General Council

Gift Lake Metis Settlement, AB - Dr. Paulette C. Tremblay, Chief Executive Officer of the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Agreement with the Metis Settlements General Council (MSGC). The purpose of the MOU is to formalize organizational interests in areas of potential mutual collaboration.

Dr. Paulette C. Tremblay explained, “As NAHO continues its work towards improving the health outcomes of First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals, communities and families in Canada, we know that relationship building is fundamental to our growth as a national body. The MSGC shares many key areas of mutual interest in regards to the health and well-being of Aboriginal Peoples.”

Prior to signing the agreement, the MSGC executive and staff took their special guests on a community tour of the Gift Lake Metis Settlement. Among those in attendance were Province of Alberta Deputy Minister Maria David Evans, Province of Alberta Assistant Deputy Minister Donavan Young and NAHO Chairperson Susan Dahlseide.

 “MSGC is very pleased to be able to generate a partnership with NAHO given that health and health research is a priority issue for us,” said Gerald Cunningham, President of the Metis Settlements General Council, who is the signing official on the MOU.

Cunningham went on to say, “This agreement will provide settlements with the opportunities to improve the health of settlement members from a research point of view with the assistance and expertise of a national aboriginal health organization. We welcome this partnership and look forward to seeing the progress over the next few years.”

Having taken the role of CEO on January 7, 2008, Dr. Tremblay says, “We are committed to focusing our efforts on community evidence-based research and looking at how the broad social determinants of health are required as building blocks for contemporary health and wellness.”

The MOU will allow NAHO and MSGC to explore areas of mutual interest pertaining to joint research opportunities, resources and information sharing.

The National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) is an Aboriginal-designed and -controlled body committed to influencing and advancing the health and well-being of Aboriginal Peoples by carrying out knowledge-based strategies.

The Metis Settlements General Council represents 8 Metis Settlements in Alberta. They are the only land based Metis spanning 1.25 million acres with a population of approximately 9000 members.

For NAHO media inquiries, contact:                                                                    

Colleen Patterson, Communications Officer

National Aboriginal Health Organization                                                                      

Tel: (613) 237-9462 ext. 559

Toll Free: 1-877-602-4445 ext. 559

Cell: (613) 863-9001

E-mail: cpatterson@naho.ca 

http://www.naho.ca/

For MSGC media inquiries, contact:                                                                    

Jaime Koebel, Research & Development Officer

Metis Settlements General Council – Ottawa Office

Tel: (613) 290-8597

http://www.msgc.ca/

Metis Settlements Messenger Issue & Deadline Notice (click here to download word document)

Métis Settlements General Council

Annual Christmas Banquet

“A celebration of Metis leaders”

December 13, 2007

Mayfield Inn & Suites

16615-109 Avenue, Edmonton AB

5:00 pm    Cocktails

5:15 pm    Opening Remarks

6:00 pm    Dinner

7:00 pm    Keynotes & Presentations

9:00 pm    Performance by Asani

9:30 pm    Dance  

Kids Korner from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm with activities, crafts and a visit from Santa.

Celebration of Métis Leaders past and present.

Gerald White Scholarship Presentation

Keynote by Jean Teillet and Jason Madden on Métis Rights

Performance by Asani

Security on site and complimentary taxi rides.

Dance from 9:30 to 1:00 am.

Door prizes and raffles

For tickets contact Bonnie Joe at 1-888-213-4400 or at 822-4096

$35.00 per ticket

$60.00 for a couple

$15.00 for children ages 5 to 12

4 years and under are free

Reserve a table of 8 for $ 240.00

MSGC Executive Election Official Results, November 16, 2007

President - Gerald Cunningham

Vice-President - Allan Wells

Secretary - Susan Cardinal-Lamouche

Treasurer - Denise White

Treasurer Nominations:

Marcel Desjarlais

Dean Ducharme

Denise White

Secretary Nominations:

Susan Cardinal-Lamouche

Irene Collins

Chris Lamouche

Jerry LaRose

Vice-President Nominations:

Joe Blyan

Lorne Durocher

Harry Supernault

Allan Wells

Glady Anderson 

President Nominations:

Gerald Cunningham

Ken Noskey

Dave Lamouche

DISCUSSIONS WITH RCMP, OFI and MSGC

11/06/2007

Initial contact was made with the RCMP in May 2007 to enquire about the Aboriginal Policing Program.  It was noted that the Aboriginal Police Program was set for First Nation Police Policy only and did not include Metis for policing.

In July, Secretary Susan Cardinal-Lamouche met with Inspector Bob Bangs of the RCMP at a conference in Newfoundland, this lead to a meeting in Edmonton to discuss a partnership with Metis communities. With common concerns both the Metis Settlements General Council representatives and RCMP representatives agreed to approach the Office of the Federal Interlocutor to seek support to facilitate the discussions to a Metis approach.

With the support of the OFI the RCMP attended an All Council meeting in High Prairie and presented the present method of Police in Aboriginal communities.  The RCMP also received a presentation on the history of the Metis Settlements; this presentation reinforced the unique situation of the Metis on the only land base with defined communities and a defined population.  All parties agreed that individual settlement visits would occur to facilitate the individual councils and members to express their particular community issues related to safe communities.

During this process there were two other significant events that happened, firstly there was a National Aboriginal Police Conference in Ottawa attended by the Metis Settlements General Council representatives where it was obvious that the Aboriginal Policing Program was directed and driven by the First Nations Police Policy and does not take into account Policing for Metis.  There were also many operational concerns presented by First Nations that reflected many issues with the First Nations Police Policy.

Secretary Susan Cardinal-Lamouche challenged Assistant Deputy Minister Chantel Brennier of the Department of Public Safety Canada to change Aboriginal Program policy to include all Aboriginal peoples as defined in s.35 of the Canadian Constitution and also to include all peoples as per s.15 of the Canadian Constitution.

Secondly, there was Metis Rights conference held in Vancouver that was attended by many RCMP from Ottawa and various Divisions across Canada, there were also representatives from the Metis Settlements General Council. As more Metis rights are defined by the courts across Canada the legal institutions and the law enforcement agencies have a larger task to manage. The MSGC have a short term agreement with the RCMP to input the views of the Metis Settlements General Council on the services of the RCMP with the Metis settlements and input means of mutual improvements.

We will be completing our Settlement visits shortly, after which time a  proposal for Police services on the Settlements will be drafted for submission to Public Safety Canada, which also falls in line with the Tripartite work  plan for safe communities.  One of the five areas of the recent throne speech was SAFE COMMUNITIES.

This leads us to believe that a Metis specific policy for Police should be added to the Aboriginal Police Program. 

I would recommend that the Metis Settlements General Council propose a two year pilot project to Public Safety Canada, which would include providing three additional members per settlement to the local detachments to support the lack of manpower in those detachments that should be providing adequate police services for safe communities.  These additional twenty four officers would have specific Metis settlement duties both on Settlement and in adjacent towns.  The Metis Settlement councils would need to provide incentives for housing, office space, and acceptance of members into their communities to provide the safe atmosphere, details to be included in proposal form.

We are all aware the good partners support one another, through this partnership we would require expanding our working relations to the courts and the legal system; after all safe communities can not be achieved without the support of the court system.  In the event of serious crimes and drug related crimes there has to be a commitment of the court that these offenders are incarcerated and kept isolated from the communities for necessary periods of time.  It will require the people to change the ENVIRONMENT of our communities to SAFE COMMUNITIES because as a people we adapt to our environment although it may not be the one that we prefer.

The Innovation Fund is a program of the Access to the Future Fund that provides project funding to support leading edge initiatives with the potential to have a transformative impact on Alberta’s advanced learning system. The Innovation Fund was designed to support innovative and collaborative projects, projects that foster partnerships, and projects that generate system-wide benefits for advanced learning in Alberta.

Download the 2007/2008 Application Guide 

(August 26, 2005, Edmonton, Alberta) – Responding to the latest challenge to the Interim Metis Harvesting Agreements by the Alberta Fish and Game Association (AFGA), President of The Metis Settlements of Alberta, Alden Armstrong, repeated the position that Metis hunting and fishing in the province has been a way of life for as long a Metis people have been in the province, and is part of Alberta’s unique Canadian legacy.

"There are always going to be those who think Metis hunting and fishing rights are special rights," says Armstrong. "But the fact is that it’s a Supreme Court decision that puts in writing something that has been our cultural roots and tradition in Alberta for well over a century. To us, it is a way of handing down our cultural legacy to our children. In this centennial year we are celebrating our traditions as Albertans and as Metis. And for some of our people who still practice a traditional way of life, it is their way of feeding and providing for themselves. I think this is maybe hard for some people to realize; that hunting and fishing to some of our people is their sustenance. It isn’t sport. It’s how they stay alive."

Vice President of the Metis Settlements of Alberta, Gerald Cunningham, notes that the Metis Settlements of Alberta account for just over 6,000 members. And while the total provincial number of Metis people is somewhere around 66,000, only approximately 10 percent of that population actually hunts and fishes on a regular basis. By comparison, according to the ASRD, there were 261,000 hunting licences issues last year to the general population.

"We think the contrast is pretty clear," says Cunningham. "Our people hunting and fishing in the province are very small compared to the general population. And the province is looking at ways to better monitor harvesting across the province by all people. As a government and as a people we believe deeply in sustainability. It is our way of life.

"When I signed the Interim Harvesting Agreement on behalf of our membership it was a proud moment for us - our rights were recognized by the Supreme Court and the province. In a larger context it’s something Albertans everywhere should be proud of, too; it’s part of our unique Alberta and Canadian heritage. We don’t get the feeling that Metis hunting and fishing is a big problem for the majority of Albertans."

"We’re working hand in hand with the Alberta government through the Standing Policy Committee on Justice and Government Services to overcome any misunderstandings," continues Armstrong. "On a go-forward basis, one thing we can do to increase certainty for all parties is to make funding available to the Settlements for comprehensive traditional use studies that will show the actual footprint of traditional Settlement harvesting practices in Alberta. We look forward to the end of misinformation and miscommunication on this issue and moving forward."

Backgrounder

The Metis Settlements of Alberta are the only land-based Metis government in Canada. The Metis Settlements General Council administers the policies of all eight settlements, representing over 6,000 members on 1.2 million acres of land.

The R. v. Powley decision was the first Supreme Court of Canada judgment to address the question of whether Metis have Aboriginal rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. The unanimous decision, which was handed down on September 19, 2003, recognized that the Powley, as Metis, has a constitutionally protected Metis Aboriginal rights to hunt for food... View full proposal as PDF.

The Metis Settlements General Council and the Provincial Government signed the Interim Metis Harvesting Agreement on October 1, 2004. This interim agreement gives you, a Metis Settlement member, the following rights... View full agreement as PDF.

The Metis Settlements have achieved a long time goal of opening an office in Ottawa with a presence in the National Capital. Through the Ottawa office we will make government know about the Metis Settlements and create direct links with Federal Departments and Ministers. The commitment of Prime Minister Paul Martin to Aboriginal peoples is reflected in establishing the new office of Aboriginal Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister.

The time is right for the Metis Settlements of Alberta to have a presence in Ottawa. As Metis, we say that all ‘Aboriginal’ programs should be available to all Aboriginal people, not just select National groups or interest groups. Once the Metis are treated equal as an Aboriginal group, the Metis Settlements can show the unique, positive way we have governed since 1990 on Canada's only Metis land base.

The Ottawa office will continue talking to the Federal government about:

Representation for Metis Settlements at the National level by Metis Settlement representatives