Metis Assoc. of Alberta V.P. Collins claims he is being sued for 'doing my job'

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New Metis members are being denied true representation and even membership itself by the Zone 4 executive charges Zone 2 vice-president August Collins who was cited in a Zone 4 law suit last week.

Collins, who with twelve other members of the association are being sued for almost $60,000 by the Zone 4 Regional Council for trying to sign up three new Locals within the zone to allegedly "increase the membership of the Plaintiff Society (Zone 4) with the intent of increasing the number of voters at the meeting held on May 23, 1987."

According to the Metis Association structure, each local president has one vote on the council. New locals would therefore have new votes on the council and could sway decisions.

"I am being sued for just doing my job and for following the bylaws of the association," says Collins who is scretary of the MAA board and one of the key signatores of any new locals.

"I am prepared to go to jail for my beliefs and I am going to fight this all the way. According to the societies act you only need five people to form a new society or a new local and that was done. Everything was above board," he said.

However, Zone 4 director Ron LaRocque says he and Courtrille have not prevented anyone joining the association but have opposed the formation of the three new locals because boundaries must be established prior to approval by the regional council. After approval the local must be approved by the board of the association before final signature by the president and the secretary. The local is then registered at corporate registry.

"This procedure was not followed," said LaRocque who added that Collins had signed the papers prior to approval by Zone 4 and that the application had also been signed by Frank Spence who was at that time the vice-president of Zone 1.

"I don't know why Frank Spence signed the approval because it was supposed to be signed by the president," said LaRocque.

Larocque added that the 3 new locals were in fact offshoots of established locals and did not involve new members.

"Two of the locals involved members who were part of Local 1885 and the other new local, Drayton Valley involved members from the Edson local. No one has been denied membership of the association."

Collins further charged that Courtrille and LaRocque had been given instructions by the Zone 4 regional council to accept the new locals. However, LaRocque denies that any instructions were given but added that a motion to accept the locals at the next regional council was made.

"This motion was made by Jo-Ann Daniels who was not aware of the procedure and wanted to make a gesture of reconciliation. This motion will be rescinded at the next meeting August 8 and 9," said LaRocque.

Meantime, both Collins and LaRocque have filed nomination papers and intend to run for their positions at the upcoming elections scheduled for September 1.

LaRocque has joined with Courtrille and Daniels to run a joint alliance to focus on issues and policies rather than on "personality politics."

Courtrille will be running for Zone 4 vice-president and Daniels, a former vice president, will be running for the position of president to replace former president Sam Sinclair.

Citing several supporters, which includes Muriel Stanley-Venne as well as LaRocque and Courtrille, Daniels says this cooperation "could be the beginnings of a system of party politics within the MAA."