Pallister Government Snubs Metis People In Throne Speech

The Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) is expressing disappointment in today’s provincial Speech From the Throne. Once again, the Pallister government makes no mention of the Metis in its vision for the year ahead.

“How ironic that as we enter the 150th anniversary of Louis Riel and his Provisional Government’s negotiation to enter Confederation, this Premier has chosen to again leave out the very people who founded the province he now leads,” said MMF President, David Chartrand. “He chooses to exclude and insult us not only in his government’s everyday interaction but also in the document that supposedly guides his ministers and the policies they will develop.

” Media releases and published comments from Pallister give himself kudos on cutting red tape. However, this document only reveals the pattern of continuing to omit and ignore the Metis Citizens of Manitoba. 

“The Speech from the Throne says the government understands the importance of working with our Indigenous and Métis partners which in and of itself is wrong,” added President Chartrand. “Every legal scholar understands that Section 35 of Canada’s Constitution states Aboriginal peoples include First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. There is no “Indigenous AND Métis. This statement alone shows how out of touch Pallister is when it comes to consultation and relationships with our People.

” News of today’s throne speech comes as the Metis Nation is hosting a conference on minorities and their place in Canada. The MMF is dismayed to see the leader of a province adding fuel to the fires of divisiveness and exclusion.

 “Our Metis Citizens are taxpayers and builders of this province we founded,” concluded President Chartrand. “As contributors to Manitoba’s growth, we would expect this premier to see us as contributors to its social and economic success. Instead, in this, the 150th anniversary of this province I love, we are once again being excluded by a premier that seeks retribution.”