By Bryan Eneas

Court filing may halt upcoming Métis Nation Legislative Assembly

Jan 31, 2017 | 4:41 PM

A recent court filing may change the course of the Métis Nation Legislative and General Assembly along with upcoming election dates. 

The Métis Nation – Saskatchewan (MN-S), the lobbying body for the Métis people of Saskatchewan, was supposed to hold a leadership election last summer, but plans were met with several delays.

The leadership’s four-year term concluded in September, 2016, but with delays in July a election date was put over to February 4. That date is now coming into question after Chief Electoral Officer Fred Payton resigned from his post in December due to serious health concerns.

Because of the holdups, a group of local presidents are calling the leadership into question and have filed for an injunction which could prevent the assemblies from happening.

“We feel, as local presidents, they have no authority to do that,” Bryan Lee, the president of the Fish Lake Métis Local, said.

Making a splash

P.A. Pikes sees numbers nearly double during 2023/24 season

May 02, 2024

Golden girl

'Super special': P.A.'s Zablocki reflects on Esso Cup win, reveals plans for next season

May 02, 2024

Court proceedings

'I didn't shoot anybody': testimony wraps up at Prince Albert murder trial

May 01, 2024

The local is roughly an hour’s drive from Prince Albert.

Lee said because the current leadership’s term expired in September 2016, they no longer hold the right to call a legislative or general assembly.

He said he partnered with MN-S treasurer Louis Gardiner, and Green Lake Local president Kelvin Roy to file the application in court.

Lee said if the court rules in their favour, the decision will be “the best thing going forward for the Métis people of Saskatchewan” because it would allow for full judicial reform of the MN-S organization.

“If the judge doesn’t rule in our favour in this case, that’s the end of it,” Lee said.

MN-S responds to injunction application

Jay Watson of Cuelenaere Kendell Katzman and Watson in Saskatoon, will be representing the MN-S in court on Feb. 14. He said he received the application sometime last week.

“My view is the application will be dismissed, and the (assembly) will take place Feb. 18 [and] 19 as planned, and the election will follow thereafter,” Watson said.

Watson said an argument used by the applicants is based on an understanding of the Métis Nation’s constitution. He said those calling for an injunction do not see the current leaders of the organization as legitimate.

“If that interpretation were used, once that happened, the government would be at a complete standstill and all would be lost,” Watson said.

He said the current administration’s power continues until a new council is elected, regardless of how long it takes to elect a new council.

Current vice president of the MN-S, Gerald Morin, said the request for an injunction won’t change any plans for the organization.

“It doesn’t mean a damn thing,” Morin said. “The legislative assembly will go ahead.”

Morin said the decision is “in the hands of the court” if the injunction goes ahead or not, however he feels as though the organization has followed the appropriate steps in its call for an assembly.

“Everyone is looking forward to a legislative assembly. Everyone wants to go to an election,” Morin said. “I don’t really see any rhyme or reason as to why anybody would want to do this; it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Morin said the legislative assembly is required to pass a motion which would allow a democratic election to take place.

Pending a decision on the injunction, the next legislative and general assembly will be hosted on Feb. 18 and 19, where a date for election will be scheduled. The assemblies are booked into the Grand Gallery of TCU place in Saskatoon.

None of the allegations have been tested in court. 

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @BryanEneas  

EDITOR’S NOTE: As this matter is before the courts, commenting on this story is closed.