Métis Hunters to Exercise Rights |
17 September 04 |
Manitoba Métis hunters were issued Métis Harvester Identification Cards in a ceremony September 9, 2004, despite refusal by the Manitoba Minister of Conservation to recognize Métis' right to harvest for subsistence purposes, similar to the right of other Aboriginal peoples in Canada.The September 2003 Supreme Court of Canada Powley Decision recognized the Métis as a distinct Aboriginal people and affirmed aboriginal hunting and fishing rights to Métis who can show their connections to ancestral communities which continue to hunt and fish today. The Court also acknowledged the urgent need to identify Métis rights-holders through an objective and verifiable process. Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) President David Chartrand met with Conservation Minister Stan Struthers earlier in the week, but Minister Struthers said his department will charge cardholders if they break the law. Struthers said the province is working on new rules for Métis hunters that are in keeping with the recent Supreme Court ruling. He did not know when the new rules would come into effect. Métis leaders maintain that Manitoba is ignoring the 1982 Canadian Constitution and disregarding the Supreme Court. The MMF will challenge the province by having cardholders take part in a mass hunt. View the September 9, 2004 MMF press releases View the CBC Manitoba Online article Sources: MMF, CBC Manitoba
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