The future of the lawsuit, which seeks to hold Canada responsible for Metis’ loss of land, is in doubt after about a third of the plaintiffs asked to withdraw from the lawsuit when their legitimacy was called into question.
Alberta’s mestizos say the move proves that it speaks to Alberta’s mestizos and that the provincial government’s relations with breakaway groups must stop.
“These are the same groups that the current provincial government supports and consults, with the exception of the vast majority of the mestizos in Alberta,” Vice President Dan Cardinal said in a statement.
The so-called Durocher case, filed in 2019, was filed by 17 mestizo groups and individuals in Alberta and 39 other similar Saskatchewan plaintiffs on behalf of all mestizos in the area. It is seeking compensation for the loss of a huge amount of land in the northern regions of the two provinces by issuing Metis certificates at the beginning of the last century.
The script had to be bought for land.
However, the available land was far from the home of the mestizos. The speculators bought a large sum for pennies of dollars from people who did not understand the deal they were making.
The lawsuit seeks compensation, a declaration that Metis still owns the land, and negotiations for a land claim.
But this process has now been halted. The Alberta plaintiffs demanded his removal after Alberta’s mestizos and the federal government challenged the legitimacy of their claim to represent all mestizos.
In addition to the 10 individuals, the groups withdrawing from the lawsuit are the mestizo associations in Athabasca Landing, Fort McKay, Lakeland, Willow Lake, Owl River and Conklin. The 17th applicant, Chard Métis Dene Inc., was dismissed.
“When the light of the check is on them, it’s indicative that they say we’re just going to retire,” said Jason Madden, a lawyer for Métis Nation.
Métis Nation President Audrey Poitras said in a press release that any settlement of payments must be agreed with representatives of all Métis.
“Justice requires that all the benefits of litigation or a negotiated agreement benefit all descendants of the mestizos, not just a few self-appointed individuals and private corporations that control.
The groups that filed the lawsuit are only a few years old, Madden said. The Metis of Alberta nation was founded in 1928.
The fate of the case is uncertain now, Madden said.
“All parties have agreed to a three-month postponement to give Saskatchewan parties a chance to decide what to do next.
Madden said the withdrawal of the 17 plaintiffs now clearly shows that the Metis nation of Alberta has the right to speak on behalf of Metis in the province. He pointed out that the government of the United Conservative Party is eager to consult and work with the breakaway groups that have now withdrawn from Durocher.
This connection must end, said the cardinal.
“We hope that the same judicial control will be applied to behind-the-scenes transactions between the Kenyan government and these self-appointed individuals and groups to ensure that all negotiations represent the interests of all Metis citizens.”
Neither the lawyer of the breakaway groups nor their representatives were immediately found to comment.
In the statement, Poitras acknowledged that the issue of compensation for land loss through the Scrip program needed more urgency. She said her group signed a deal with Ottawa in 2019, which includes negotiations on the amount, but little has happened since.
“Little progress has been made with Canada,” she said. “We will consult with our citizens, as well as with our democratic governance structures at local and regional level, what we need to do next.
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