Chartier says he won’t seek re-election as Métis National Council president

Clem Chartier says he won’t seek re-election as Métis National Council president.

First elected to the position in 2003, Chartier made the announcement in a letter to the general assembly on Wednesday.

Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand will take over some of the president’s roles until the next election which is expected in the spring.

In the letter, Chartier also says he plans to continue on as the lead lawyer in the major Métis land claims case against the federal government which was launched last month in Saskatoon.

The case challenges the legitimacy of the scrip system in northwestern Saskatchewan and northeastern Alberta.

The MNC President says one of the reasons he is stepping down is over a complaint to the Law Society of Saskatchewan by the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan that he should not be serving as lead counsel on the file while serving in the capacity of president at the same time.

Chartier also expressed frustration in the letter with MN-S President Glen McCallum, Métis Nation of Alberta President Audrey Poitras and Métis Nation of Ontario President Margaret Froh for blocking sanctions against the MNO which is facing suspension.

Chartier, who grew up in Buffalo Narrows, is also a past president of both the MN-S and World Council of Indigenous Peoples.

(PHOTO: Métis National Council President Clem Chartier. File photo.)