Metis feel threatened by new government

The leader of the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF), David Chartrand, received an e-mail from a Member of Parliament on Jan. 12.

"I am disappointed that you would take a partisan position in this federal election, as you have in the last one," wrote Inky Mark, the Conservative Party of Canada member for Dauphin-Swan River. "Speaking to Metis people in my riding, I am told that the MMF constitution demands that MMF stay neutral politically. As you know, taking sides will hurt you and your organization, sooner or later."

Chartrand took that as a threat. He said he's done nothing to violate the MMF constitution.

"He's wrong in his statement about my constitution. The constitution states it is my duty to advise and educate Metis people on the politics of municipal, provincial and federal. It is our duty and that's why we've challenged the parties to write down their platform as it pertains to Metis issues," he told Windspeaker on Jan. 18.

The constitution does say that the MMF cannot affiliate with any mainstream party.

"He's trying to dance on the affiliation part. This is not affiliating with the Liberal party. I have not taken the federation to join the Liberal party. What we've done is endorsed the platform, which is the best platform. We evaluated and we rated them and, by far, the Liberal's came in first," he said. "The Conservatives, in the two elections now since we've started this process, will not put anything in writing as it pertains to Metis people. They just won't."

Chartrand and other Metis leaders are extremely concerned about the Conservatives. They note that Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper responded in detail to inquiries made by the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, which advocates for the interests of off-reserve, non-status and some Metis people, and with less detail to the Assembly of First Nations, the organization of First Nation chiefs.

The leaders know that Harper depends upon the advice of University of Calgary professor of history and author Thomas Flanagan, who has written disparagingly of the Metis' status as an Aboriginal people. He has also written a scathing-to Metis eyes - biography of Louis Riel. Since the Conservative Party of Canada has not been forthright on its Metis policy, the leaders suspect the party has something unpleasant planned for them once it is in power.
"I think their plan is exactly what Thomas Flanagan has always said, that it was the biggest mistake to put the Metis people in the Constitution and we should just be assimilated into the rest of society and we should not even exist as a people. It's very clear the influence of Flanagan, although he comes from the United States and he's got a right-wing mentality that is a major influence on Stephen Harper, given their closeness. That has a great influence on what's taking place where we're completely ignored," said Chartrand.
Once the local media took up the story, Mark, who did not respond to Windspeaker's attempts to reach him for comment, said his warning was meant to be a little friendly advice to the Metis.
Chartrand doesn't buy that for a second.
"If he's so concerned about the Metis, why didn't he raise the issue in Montreal at the Conservative convention when they were creating policy and in particular the Aboriginal policy. They completely left out the Metis. Here's an MP saying, 'I've got a lot of Metis in my riding. I'm concerned about them. I respect and support and fight for them.'

Yet (Inky Mark) did not raise a whisper or send an e-mail to Flanagan or Harper or [Conservative Aboriginal Affairs critic Jim] Prentice saying, 'Wait a minute here. How come the Metis are left out? Why would we leave them out? They're in the Constitution of this country,'' David Chartrand said.

Mark told CBC he was advising the MMF "don't bite the hand that feeds you," Chartrand said.
"What does that mean?" he asked.

The CBC reporter, Chartrand said, asked if an e-mail offering the same advice would be sent to the Congress of Aboriginal People who had just endorsed the Conservatives. He said, "No."

Chartrand said that punishing your political enemies is the same as rewarding your political friends, which is what got the Liberals into so much trouble in the sponsorship scandal.

"That's the missing link for Canadians. We've not seen really who these people are. They've been told to be silent, to lay low, lay quiet, wait till this election's over. Then you can speak. Meantime, don't say a word. Only Stephen Harper will speak. And when one of them comes out you can see how far-reaching their right-wing approach is and it's sometimes threatening," Chartrand said.

First Nation leaders were worried at the time that a split between the Reform Party faction and the Progressive Conservative factions of the new Conservatives were showing after former Reformer Medicine Hat MP Monte Solberg differed publicly with former PC member Jim Prentice over the Kelowna first ministers agreement.

The Metis leader fears the Reform point of view will emerge victorious now that the Conservatives have been given a mandate to govern.

"I think there's going to be a major clash between the two sooner or later. The Reform, right now, have more of the power base. They proved that by electing Stephen Harper leader over traditional
Conservatives," he said.

Many gains have been made by the Metis people recently and Chartrand worries that Flanagan will try to push back that progress in order to protect his own reputation.

"It's obvious that you have a person there who has a clear agenda to fight us with all his vigor to ensure that we will not exist as a people. If we continue on the path where we have been successful, through the courts and through negotiation, then everything he's written has been wrong. Flanagan doesn't want to admit that all his writings are basically smoke and mirrors. So I think that's probably something he's trying to back up and protect at the same time," he said.

Chartrand wanted to know if Mark or any Conservative member gave mainstream groups the same warning or advice about allying with other parties.

We asked one of the most high-profile groups in the country, the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW), whose president Buzz Hargrove campaigned hard against the Conservatives, if they had received any similar messages.

"No one from the Harper camp has threatened us," said Jim Pare, director of communications for the CAW. "I don't think there's much they could threaten us with. They know we would go public with it."

The perceived threat bothered the MMF leader, but not as much as the lack of a Metis policy.

"I asked Inky Mark, 'Why don't you give me your Metis platform and I'll deliver it to my people.' But he didn't because they don't have one. According to them I don't exist and I shouldn't exist," he said.

An exchange he had with Prentice has him on alert now that the Conservatives have been elected.

"I challenged Prentice on Flanagan after Kelowna. He said, 'Flanagan doesn't write our policy, I do.' So I challenged him further. 'If you write the policy, why did you exclude us?' He said, 'I'm not responsible for the Metis file.' I said, 'I thought you're the Aboriginal affairs critic.'"

That leaves one other very important question, he said.

"Are they saying we're not Aboriginal?"