Roth ready to support new MNS election

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Metis Nation-Saskatchewan (MNS) President Dwayne Roth is waving the white flag, apparently ready to end the modern day Metis rebellion he and his followers have been waging for the better part of a year.

Saying he must act in the best interest of the Metis people, Roth has announced he would support holding another election this fall if the province is willing to pay for it.

Roth's presidency has been a rocky one from the word go. When the unofficial results of the MNS election-held on May 26, 2004-were announced, it was presidential candidate Robert Doucette who was named the winner. Following completion of the official count on June 3, Doucette was declared president. A few hours later it was discovered one ballot box hasn't been included in the official count. The ballots in that box were enough to change the outcome, and Roth was declared the new MNS president.

Complaints about voting irregularities began to surface soon after, calling into question the legitimacy of Roth's claim to the presidency. That uncertainty around the election process and results led to a decision by the province to freeze its funding of the MNS, with the federally government following suit shortly thereafter.

The situation didn't improve for the beleaguered Metis organization when a report by former provincial chief electoral officer Keith Lampard indicated there were enough irregularities with the voting process to cast serious doubt as to the validity of the election results.

Maynard Sonntag, minister of First Nations and Metis Relations said he was pleased to hear that Roth is willing to support holding a new election, but added that Roth's apparent change of heart won't have any affect on the province's decision to withhold funding.

"Our response has not changed in any way from the very beginning," Sonntag said. "Essentially we have said, myself as the minister and the department, have said that if we have a fair and democratic election that is transparent, independently overseen and if the issue of voter registry is addressed, we will give consideration to the restoration of funds."

As for Roth's statement that funding for a new election would have to come from the province, that is something that is open for discussion, Sonntag said.

"We have had discussions-the department and, in fact, federal officials as well-about whether or not there should be some funding for an election to ensure that it gets up and running properly as well. And we've been fairly open in saying that's something we would also give consideration to."

Maynard Sonntag added that Dwayne Roth's newly announced support for holding a new election won't have any impact on the consultation process initiated by the province in December. A six-person panel chaired by Metis author Maria Campbell has begun holding public meetings across the province to consult with Metis people on ways to improve the electoral process. The panel is expected to report on its findings and recommendations in April.

"What Mr. Roth has said doesn't necessarily pre-empt anything that the panel is doing," Sonntag said. "At the end of the day I suspect that the panel will have a number of short-term and long-term recommendations. And again, at the end of the day, I think that if we achieved all of the objectives that we were trying to achieve on behalf of Metis people in the province, I don't think the panel would feel that they had sort of wasted their work. And I suspect lots of the recommendations will be long-term recommendations that will try to put in place a process that will ensure there's a solid structure in place to make sure that the elections run smoothly in the future."

Sonntag said he doesn't know how the consultation is progressing as he has tried to be as hands-off as possible throughout the process.

"I've deliberately tried to keep myself removed so that (the panel) can really hear what the grassroots Metis people are saying without any iterference, or perceived interference, from the minister's office," he said.