Saskatchewan Metis elect new leader

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In what may well be Saskatchewan Metis' largest-ever provincial election, the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan elected veteran politician Jim Durocher, a.k.a. Jimmy D., as its new president.

The Feb. 18 election proved a bit of a heated battle which saw the nearest rival, Bernice Hammersmith, lose by more than 100 votes, reports Earl A. Pelletier, the chief electoral officer.

Five other individuals competed for the president's position: Philip Chartier, Paul Daigneault, Harry Daniels, John Dorion and Clarence Norton. Elected to the executive were Lorna Docken-Laplante as secretary, and Al Morin as treasurer. All positions are for three years.

Durocher last held the president's position in 1992. He then locked horns with and lost to past president Gerald Morin. During Morin's term in office, both the MNS and the Metis National council were under the microscope for alleged financial wrongdoing, and subsequently cleared.

Morin was ineligible to run for office again because he assumed the role of National Metis president which requires him to be in Ottawa much of the time.

Pelletier says the election generates a lot of interest. He further states that, "well over 6,000 participated in voting...probably the largest election." A total of 690 Metis contested positions at the regional and executive levels. Because the MNS does not rotate or stagger board positions, all of them were open.