Métis Nation British Columbia Concludes Successful Advocacy Trip to Ottawa



Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) has concluded a successful trip to Ottawa to advocate on behalf of Métis Citizens in BC. MNBC is the Métis Nation government in BC and has spent the last number of years building positive and collaborative relationships with Members of Parliament (MP), Cabinet Ministers, and Government of Canada departmental staff.

This past week, MNBC’s delegation, consisting of Board of Director members and staff, arranged meetings with a number of key individuals and organizations. During the meetings, MNBC advanced the cause of Métis self-governance in BC, advocated for preserving Métis culture, heritage, and language, encouraged more collaboration with Métis businesses and entrepreneurs, and continued the relationship building that has occurred with political representation. The volume of meetings that MNBC was able to engage in was unprecedented in the Nation’s history and speaks to the strong work that MNBC’s Board of Directors has been undertaking to build relationships that help advance Métis rights and recognition in BC.

Throughout the week, MNBC gifted elected leaders with Métis-specific gifts. These gifts included the books The North-West Is Our Mother · The Story of Louis Riel's People, the Métis Nation, by Jean Teillet, and Kaa-wiichitoyaahk the Métis cultural wellness guide MNBC published. We also gifted elected leaders the special edition Terry Fox sash. This sash was designed and created in partnership with the Fox Family, and was framed around Terry’s Marathon of Hope. Our board members shared that the sash represents the hope our Nation has for our relationship with Canada;  especially after this country’s commitments to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

A summary of the meetings is below:

 

  • Day 1
  • Meeting with Member of Parliament for Fleetwood- Port Kells Ken Hardie
  • Meeting with Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories Michael V. Mcleod
  • Meeting with Member of Parliament for Surrey-Centre Randeep Sarai
  • Meeting with Office of Minister of Public Services and Procurement
  • Meeting with Member of Parliament for Cloverdale-Langley City John Aldag
  • Day 2
  • Meeting with Member of Parliament for Nunavut and NDP Critic for CIRNAC and ISC Lori Idlout
  • Meeting with Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Martin Reiher
  • Meeting with Member of Parliament for South Surrey-White Rock Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • Meeting with Office of Deputy Prime Minister
  • Meeting with Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada Harjit Sajjan
  • Meeting with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh
  • Day 3
  • Meeting with Conservative Party BC Caucus
  • Meeting with Liberal Party Pacific Caucus
  • Meeting with Office of Minister of Sport
  • Meeting with Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
  • Meeting with Office of Minister of Indigenous Services Canada
  • Meeting with Member of Parliament for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock and Conservative Critic for CIRNAC Jamie Schmale & Member of Parliament for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River and Conservative Critic for ISC Gary Vidal.
  • Meeting with Minister for Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez
  • Meeting with Office of Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
  • Meeting with Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller
  • Meeting with Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti
  • Meeting with Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings
  • Day 4
  • Meeting with Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Natural Resources and Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Environment and Climate Change Julie Dabrusin
  • Meeting with the Métis Nation of Ontario 

Print