As many of you may have heard, Premier McGuinty shuffled his Cabinet this week. Of particular interest to the Métis Nation, the Honourable Michael Bryant is no longer the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. He has been appointed the Minister for Economic Development. Minister Bryant’s knowledge, commitment and passion to our issues as Ontario’s first stand-alone Minister for Aboriginal Affairs will be missed, but he will continue to be a friend and ally to the Métis Nation in his new and important role in Cabinet.

The Honourable Brad Duguid has been appointed the new Ontario Minister for Aboriginal Affairs

The Honourable Brad Duguid has been appointed the new Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Minister Duiguid was previously the Minister of Labour. I have already spoken to the new Minister and he indicated that he is very aware of the “good work that has been going on” between the Ministry and the MNO and that he is committed to continuing to work together. We will likely meet face to face in the next few weeks in order to provide the Minister an overview on the Métis Nation and discuss the many initiatives we have been working on, including, the MNO-Ontario Framework Agreement, the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate, etc. I look forward to working with Minister Duguid to build on the positive relationship we have established with Minister Bryant.

Last week, I also spoke with the Honourable George Smitherman, Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister for Energy and Infrastructure. Minister Smitherman recently announced the Ontario Government’s desire to increase the amount of renewable energy the province, as a part of the 20-year Integrated Power Supply Plan that the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) is mandated to develop for the entire province.

Of particular interest to the Métis Nation, Minister Smitherman directed the OPA to “undertake enhanced consultations with First Nations and Métis communities” in light of the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate Aboriginal rights.

As well, he directed OPA to identify opportunities where First Nations and Métis communities could be partners in energy generation and transmission projects throughout the province. This new directive provides an exciting economic development opportunity for our communities to engage with government and industry on energy projects.

In addition, last week, I, along with other MNO leaders and MNO national committee representatives, attended the Métis National Council’s 25th Anniversary Gala as well as a series of national meetings held in Ottawa. The Métis National Council Gala provided an opportunity to meet and engage current and former politicians and dignitaries who have worked with the Métis Nation over the years, including, the Honourable Chuck Strahl, the current Minister of Indian Affairs and Federal Interlocutor for the Métis, the Right Honourable Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable Bob Rae, current Liberal M.P and former Ontario Premier and the Honourable John Ricard, the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal.

In the upcoming weeks there will also be much activity within the MNO:

• we will be holding meetings of the PCMNO and the Captains of the Hunt at the end of the month in Toronto, along with a meeting of the MNO’s Directors to review progress on the MNO’s operations and strategic planning process;
• we will be making a significant announcement about the Chair of Métis Studies in partnership with the university that has been selected to host the Chair position;
• we will be bringing PCMNO Councillors and representatives from MNO Community Councils together to discuss the Ontario Government’s recent announcement to modernize the Mining Act to address the Crown’s duty to consult our communities that are potentially affected by mining development; and
• we will continue to work with MNO Community Councils on putting in place process to ensure the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate our communities is being fulfilled

Further, we are busily preparing for the joint Annual General Assembly and Special Presidents’ Assembly that will be held November 16th – 18th in Toronto. Additional information and details about these meetings will be forthcoming in the near future.

As you can see there is much happening within the MNO. Like always, I want to thank our community leaders, staff and volunteers who make this work possible. I look forward to continuing to keep you updated on the progress we are making – together.

CONTACT:
Chelsey Quirk
MNO Communications Branch
T: 613.798.1488
TF: 800.263.4889