Alberta Metis get deal

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Not all Native groups at the First Ministers' Conference (FMC) on Aboriginal Constitutional Matters were unsuccessful. The Alberta Federation of Metis Settlement Associations (FMS) got their agreement from Premier Donald Getty at the FMC, which took place on March 26 and 27.

Getty made a commitment that the FMS's self-government proposal will be dealt with in 1987.

AS part of his opening remarks to the conference, the Premier stated that "we are currently undertaking an initiative that is unique within Canada, to transfer officially 1.28 million acres of land to the Metis "

Before Peter Lougheed left the premiership, Resolution 18 was passed unanimously on June 3, 1985. The resolution committed the Alberta Government to propose a new Metis Settlements Act and a constitutionally protected land transfer.

In return, Lougheed asked that the FMS devise fair and democratic principles for membership on the eight Metis settlements involved; Big Prairie, Paddle Prairie, East Prairie, Gift Lake, Fishing Lake, Caslan, Kikino, and Elizabeth. On March 20, just prior to this last FMC, in response to the proposal, Getty told Edmonton Journal's Karen Booth that he would be setting a target date for completing the process. However, he did not say when the date would be, or when it would be announced.

At the first day of the conference Getty came forward with his target date, although he was careful with his wording, "with good efforts from both sides, this will be concluded in 1987."

Further, "we agreed in principle on the fair and democratic criteria for settlement membership and land allocation, and on the unique and appropriate governing bodies," all set out in the FMS's proposal called By Means of Conferences and Negotiations "We Ensure Our Rights.

Getty also went on to say that, "We agree with the concept of territorial integrity." This means that all land on a given settlement would be owned fee simple by the Metis settlers, e.g. although the province has jurisdiction over numbered highways crossing any of the settlements, the settlers nonetheless own it.

With the self-government proposal in hand, and in cooperation with the FMS, the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party "are drafting the new Metis Settlement Act. The act will be tabled before the end of our current legislative session".

Next, the PC's "will propose an amendment to the Alberta Act. This would require approval of both Alberta's legislative assembly and the Canadian Parliament." Ultimately, the act "will confirm and protect the grant of their lands within the constitution."

In a news conference after the FMC concluded, Saskatchewan's Jim Sinclair of the Metis National Council stated, "It's their choice", referring to the FMS Alberta deal, adding that "legislation can be changed. He also said that "the Metis went to war with the federal government, not the provinces."