Metis Nation of Alberta appeals court decision regarding provincial consultation policy
By Jacob Cardinal,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Alberta Native News
Tue., March 15, 2022
(ANNews) - The Metis Nation of Alberta (MNA) has appealed a recent court decision regarding the Alberta government’s termination of negotiations with the organization over the creation of a provincial consultation policy.
The MNA argue that they have been in an agreement with the two previous Alberta government’s to create a consultation policy, but shortly after coming into power in 2019 Indigenous-relations Minister Rick Wilson ceased negotiations without cause.
The policy being drafted would have created a framework for the government on how to consult with the Metis Nation on matters such as provincial resource development.
In response to Kenney’s decision, the MNA sued the Alberta government in June 2019 claiming that the government breached the honour of the crown. This includes the constitutional duties and obligations Alberta owed the MNA after five years of negotiations.
The MNA filed for a judicial review of the Minister’s decision to end negotiations.
In the litigation, the Alberta government denied any negotiations with the MNA, therefore never having breached the honour of the crown. They also denied any duty or obligations to the MNA.
When the lawsuit was filed, MNA president Audrey Poitras was quoted as saying, “Alberta deilberates endlessly on whether to consult with Metis communities using a case-by-case approach that is tangled in red tape and that Alberta’s own bureaucrats have admitted does not work.”
“This is systematic racism in action,” she said.
Tue., March 15, 2022
(ANNews) - The Metis Nation of Alberta (MNA) has appealed a recent court decision regarding the Alberta government’s termination of negotiations with the organization over the creation of a provincial consultation policy.
The MNA argue that they have been in an agreement with the two previous Alberta government’s to create a consultation policy, but shortly after coming into power in 2019 Indigenous-relations Minister Rick Wilson ceased negotiations without cause.
The policy being drafted would have created a framework for the government on how to consult with the Metis Nation on matters such as provincial resource development.
In response to Kenney’s decision, the MNA sued the Alberta government in June 2019 claiming that the government breached the honour of the crown. This includes the constitutional duties and obligations Alberta owed the MNA after five years of negotiations.
The MNA filed for a judicial review of the Minister’s decision to end negotiations.
In the litigation, the Alberta government denied any negotiations with the MNA, therefore never having breached the honour of the crown. They also denied any duty or obligations to the MNA.
When the lawsuit was filed, MNA president Audrey Poitras was quoted as saying, “Alberta deilberates endlessly on whether to consult with Metis communities using a case-by-case approach that is tangled in red tape and that Alberta’s own bureaucrats have admitted does not work.”
“This is systematic racism in action,” she said.
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