Metis President Applauds Parliamentary Declaration

Metis President Applauds Parliamentary Declaration

Monday, December 14, 2009 at 10:34

The president of the Metis National Council is applauding Members of Parliament for choosing to recognize 2010 as the Year of the Metis — a step already taken earlier this year by the Saskatchewan legislative assembly.

Clem Chartier says that while he was in Asia recently for a conference on Indigenous issues, he came across many people who didn’t know who the Metis were.

Chartier believes next year’s proclamation will help change that.

“They of course don’t fully understand, as (is the case with) many people in Canada, that the Metis are a distinct people, a nation of people, as opposed to people of mixed ancestry that are simply individuals and not a collective,” he says.

Chartier says he’s hopeful the proclamation will help regular Canadians understand why recognizing Metis rights is so important.