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OTTAWA \u2013 M\u00e9tis leaders left a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday saying they\u2019re confident they will be included in talks about major projects Ottawa hopes to use to bolster the economy in the face of a trade war with the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen things really matter, M\u00e9tis governments come together and we get the work done,\u201d said M\u00e9tis Nation of Ontario president Margaret Froh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of like-minded people around that table today that want to move our M\u00e9tis governments forward, and Canada forward. It was a great day,\u201d said M\u00e9tis Nation of Alberta president Andrea Sandmaier.<\/p>\n
At the start of Thursday\u2019s meeting in Ottawa, Carney called on M\u00e9tis leaders to help make the economy more resilient in response to an increasingly unsteady trade relationship with the United States under President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the opportunity to work together on transformative projects that can help change the economic trajectory of our country to the benefit of all,\u201d Carney said to M\u00e9tis leaders from Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the N.W.T. gathered for the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we build a new Canada, we\u2019re going to build it in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re here today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The meeting was called to discuss the Carney government\u2019s major projects legislation, which allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects it deems to be in the national interest by sidestepping environmental protections and other legislation.<\/p>\n
While the legislation was passed quickly in June with the support of the opposition Conservatives, it was widely condemned by Indigenous leaders who said their rights were not respected when the bill was being drafted. They also said they feared that their rights would not be upheld in project approvals and that they wouldn\u2019t be adequately consulted.<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s meeting with M\u00e9tis leaders was the last in a series of meetings the prime minister promised after the bill was passed. Carney and his cabinet have met already with First Nations and Inuit leaders.<\/p>\n
The Manitoba M\u00e9tis Federation, which represents Red River M\u00e9tis, turned down an invitation to take part in the meeting Wednesday. It said that inviting the M\u00e9tis Nation of Ontario undermined the integrity of the gathering and put the government\u2019s plans for major projects at risk.<\/p>\n
The Manitoba M\u00e9tis Federation says the M\u00e9tis Nation of Ontario has no basis for existing and does not represent M\u00e9tis \u2014 a point of view shared by some M\u00e9tis and First Nations that the MNO has pushed back against.<\/p>\n
The M\u00e9tis Nation British Columbia said it wouldn\u2019t be attending the meeting because it was only invited as an online observer.<\/p>\n
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty said the meeting was a first step and that more conversations with M\u00e9tis leaders will happen in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis government has the responsibility to speak with everybody,\u201d said Gull-Masty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of tools being put in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney was joined in the meeting by a handful of his ministers, including Gull-Masty, Alty, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Northern Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand.<\/p>\n
After Carney made brief remarks to attendees, media were escorted out of the room before M\u00e9tis leaders issued their opening statements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a strong and successful partner and are here to work with you,\u201d Froh told the meeting, according to a written copy of her opening remarks shared with The Canadian Press.<\/p>\n
\u201cM\u00e9tis communities in Ontario will continue to fight for Canada, while also protecting the lands and waters our communities rely on for their continued survival as distinct Indigenous communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make (major projects) happen, we need a seat at the table \u2014 not after decisions are made but from the very beginning, as partners,\u201d Sandmaier said in prepared remarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat includes clear, respectful consultation with both the federal government and with the province of Alberta.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a media statement, M\u00e9tis Nation-Saskatchewan president Glen McCallum said he told Carney that M\u00e9tis rights are non-negotiable.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Nation will always support projects that deliver economic growth \u2014 so long as they are developed responsibly and in close partnership with our citizens,\u201d he said in the statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the lack of consultation surrounding the tabling and passage of this legislation remains a concern, today\u2019s summit gives me cautious optimism that Canada will meaningfully come to the table to engage with us as the sole representative of the M\u00e9tis Nation within Saskatchewan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gull-Masty said after the summit wrapped that she appreciated meeting with First Nations, Inuit and M\u00e9tis leaders to talk about the government\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery summit gave the opportunity for (leaders) to feed into what we\u2019re doing, how we are designing the mandate, the scope, the next steps of selecting those people that will sit at the Indigenous Advisory Council,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n