File photo.
Despite an election on the horizon for the Metis Nation – Saskatchewan, the political infighting continues.
The latest disagreement stems from a Provincial Metis Council meeting scheduled for this weekend in Saskatoon.
The president of the MN-S says the meeting is beyond the mandate of the PMC, but those scheduling the meeting say there is legal opinion supporting them.
MN-S President Robert Doucette says the mandate for the current PMC ended on Thursday. He says the PMC now has no authority to make any decisions until a new PMC is elected in February, nearly six months away.
“We’ve got a group of people deciding on their own, in contradiction of our rules to extend their terms,” said Doucette in regards to the meeting.
He says the term for the Provincial Metis Council is always four years and there is no clause in MN-S legislation that gives the PMC power to extend that mandate.
However, MBC received a document of legal opinion given to the MN-S during a similar situation in 2012 where there was a three month gap in between the end of the PMC mandate and the election.
The legal opinion says the executive council should continue as is until the election to avoid inconsistencies.
“In our view of Article 17.3, though admittedly ambiguous, provides that the terms of office of the members of the PMC and the Executive will continue until the next regularly scheduled election. This is because if that is not the case, the result would be an absurd situation that cannot be what any reasonable drafter would have intended,” said the document drafted by the W Law Group.
MN-S Vice-President Gerald Morin says they are planning the meeting based on this opinion.
“Essentially we are in the same situation today and we are going to continue in the same fashion based on the legal advice we have been given in the past,” said Morin.
Doucette claims it is different this time because in 2012 they had the backing of the entire Metis Nation Legislative Assembly. He says according to the MN-S Constitution, when a vacancy has been created regional councils shall meet and choose an interim regional director from the local presidents to carry on the business of MN-S. There has been no indication that this process was going to take place.
“Someone has to govern the Metis Nation – Saskatchewan in between elections,” said Morin. “We can’t have a situation where no one is governing and we have to have people there to ensure the best interests of Metis people in Saskatchewan are being looked after.”
Morin says the meeting this weekend will be used to address issues that have come up for the MN-S and will feature federal government officials and members of Ernst and Young, expert advisor to the organization.