Métis push back on federally-awarded contract

A contract awarded by the federal government to the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to develop a verification strategy for Métis identification systems has been pulled.

“With all the controversy and push back from all the five (provincial Métis associations) and the Métis National Council, the contract is no longer going to go through,” said Audrey Poitras, president of the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA).

Reports that the contract was awarded without consulting the Métis, and to an organization best known for approvals for household items like light bulbs and such, angered Métis leaders across the country.

Registrars and officials from the Métis National Council (MNC) and Métis Nations of Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, and the Manitoba Métis Federation, met with officials from Indian and Northern Affairs on Feb. 10 in Edmonton. The meeting was scheduled as a regular meeting of registries and post-Powley officials. INAC attended to discuss the CSA contract and it took Métis officials by surprise.

“There was no consultation before (INAC) went ahead with the contract,” said Poitras.

“To clarify, INAC officials listened carefully to the concerns raised by Métis organizations and they were informed that the contract with the CSA is temporarily on hold to ensure that, through dialogue, their concerns are addressed,” said Genevieve Guibert, media relations with INAC, in an email. “We are currently in conversation with these organizations to continue that dialogue and find a mutually agreeable solution.”

“We’re trying to move forward. We see this issue with regards to the MERX proposal as being behind us,” said Robert McDonald, manager of public and political relations for MNC.

According to the posting on MERX, where public tenders are listed, the CSA would be contracted for “the development of a Verification Strategy for Métis Identification Systems . . . . The major objective of the verification exercise is to identify a set of conditions, standards and means of verifying those standards to a level that provides the government with confidence as to what constitutes a satisfactory membership system.”

The Métis associations are already doing this, said McDonald, meeting on a regular basis to discuss the processes each has in place, see what can be improved on, and ensure the same standards are being implemented.

As an example of collaborative work that has already been undertaken, Poitras said last fall the MNA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ontario association to share information so neither organization is “reinventing the wheel. One of the things we want to work on together is the registry system.”

Approximately one-third of the MNA’s membership is registered as citizens. That number puts it ahead of any other provincial Metis organization.

“We want a constitution for our nation. But if you don’t know who your citizens are it’s difficult to develop your nation further,” said Poitras.

In 2002, a national definition for Métis was adopted: “Métis means a person who self-identifies as Métis, is of historic Métis Nation ancestry, is distinct from other Aboriginal peoples and is accepted by the Métis Nation.”

The Powley decision, which followed in 2003, said the Métis community in and around Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. had an Aboriginal right, protected by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, to hunt for food. That decision has been used as a yardstick to look at Métis rights further.

The Métis citizenship registry has been on the go since 2003.

Poitras said the MNA spent the first few years establishing the process, which included determining “historic Métis Nation ancestry,” according to the definition. That meant people who self-identified as Métis needed to produce long-form birth certificates, baptismal certificates, church records or another document supporting their claim.

While Poitras doesn’t support the route INAC took in contracting CSA’s service, she said she is not surprised by the government’s push for a national standard.

“All of us, as five governing members, have looked at how do we standardize what we’re doing? We can’t have a national registry if we’re all doing things differently. In the end we all want a national registry . . . so we can have our president elected nationally and we can do all those kinds of things we want to do from a national perspective,” said Poitras.

The Métis registrars and post Powley-officials have another regularly scheduled meeting for March 24 and 25 in Vancouver. McDonald does not expect the CSA contract to be discussed further at that time.