Metis cart needs serious overhaul

Page 11

Dear Editor:

What was once a strong vibrant organization has now turned into a poorly represented political body that does not know whether it wants to represent the Metis Nation at a government-to-government level or be a service delivery vehicle.

At this last MNAA assembly in the heart of "Metis country Bonnyville," the assembly was held in a side hall and only 250 people participated on Saturday and a quorum of 100 could not be reached until noon on Sunday.

Since changing to voting through a ballot box in the late 1980s, the Metis Nation of Alberta's annual general assemblies have dwindled down in numbers and interest in the communities. In the '70s and the '80s the Metis assemblies drew between 2000 and 4000 people to different communities across the province. Never mind not being able to find a motel in the hosting town, you could barely find a campsite to pitch a tent. Also during those assemblies an arena was barely large enough to hold the people.

People came out to question the politicians of the day on what direction the association was going and how all of us could participate to make this happen. They also came out to participate in the cultural activities; whatever was not in the arena took place at the campfires where you would find fiddlers and dancers enjoying each other's company. Some compared the old assemblies to the Lac St. Anne pilgrimage and looked forward in booking time off as part of their summer holidays to participate.

The key to the big turnouts back then was the ability to choose a leader at the assembly through a true democratic system and making sure that the elected president or vice president had a 50 per cent + 1 mandate by the people. Sometimes we would have to go back to the polls three times to get the mandate, which would take us into the early morning to decide who our leaders were going to be. With all the issues of membership we are faced within our organization this would be a more proper way of dealing with it, even though we had high numbers of people at the assemblies people knew each other and their status. People that were questionable would have to prove their status to those who challenged them there.

Why did we change this system? Right now the current president Audrey Poitras only had 22 per cent of the roughly 3000 ballots cast and Brenda Blyan-Calliou, vice-president only had 32 per cent of the votes of our nation and those numbers decline even further in the regions. No wonder we are left after an assembly wondering if our motions and resolutions passed at the assembly each year are going to be enacted or not.

I think we have to do a review of our election process. Obviously something has been taken away from the membership of the MNAA; is it the fact that our people don't feel that they have a voice and no one is listening? What about participation in the decision-making process within the organization, why are the people left out of the process?

Community boards concerning training and employment, housing, social services education and lending companies come open every year and no one is aware of the openings for the committees, because most people are being appointed by their elected buddies.

Over the past two years, the Metis National Council, of which the MNAA is a member organization, has been trying to introduce a Metis Nation agenda (a way of dealing with the federal government on issues and concerns on a nation-to-nation basis). In these processes community consultation money was given to each provincial organization to get input. What happened to the consultations in Alberta? Some say the consultation money went to an assembly. Which assembly? Where is the information dealing with the Metis Nation agenda? What were the results? How many people took part in the workshop? Were they just employees? How was it advertised?

I feel that if we want to be taken seriously as a nation of people we have to go back to the convention system. Why not, theprovincial and federal Progressive Conservative, Liberal, and NDP parties all decide their leaders through this process. Obviously this process still works. I feel that this will not be a step backward; I believe that we have tried hard to make this current system work and it is quite obvious that it has failed us big time.

It's about time that our leaders are responsible and accountable to our membership and stop the infighting that is currently taking place within the hallowed doors of the MNAA head office.

Lyle Donald

MNAA member in good standing (I hope)