Metis election sees 70 candidates

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This fall's Metis Nation of Alberta election will see a record number of candidates pursuing seats on the nation's executive.

Fifteen people are vying for the position of president while another 28 are running for six regional vice-president seats in the Sept. 7 vote. A further 27 candidates are running for the six seats on the board of directors.

The legacy of former president Larry Desmeules, who died earlier this year, is partly to blame for the size of the candidacy, said presidential hopeful Muriel Stanley-Venne.

"There has been a lot of progress made but when I go through the districts and talk to the people, they are not happy," she said. "There is no communication. Especially, they feel that the head office often does not respond when they call. The real test will be to find and elect someone with integrity to deal with the people."

The Metis in Alberta also want to have more control over their future, she said.

"They want to have a good life. They want to be educated, have a future. We have a lot of work to do to make the Metis Nation truly representative of all Metis people."

The MNA's 5,100 members represent only a portion of Canada's 20,000 Metis, she said. The organization lost thousands of members in 1985 when Bill C-31 re-instated many Metis to the status of Indian.

Only people who can trace their ancestry to the original Red River Settlement in Manitoba, who are accepted the Metis community and who have publicly declared themselves as Metis are allowed to vote in the election, she said.