Image
Image Caption
President David Chartrand of the Manitoba Métis Federation gave the State of the Nation address Oct. 18 at the Red River Métis government’s 2025 Annual General Assembly held over the weekend. It was filled with pride in recent achievement but tinged with concern and worry.
Chartrand, who has been president of the MMF for 28 years, and who stated clearly in the speech that he’s seeking another four-year term before he thinks about “aging out” to retirement at 70, said it touched his heart to know that more than 3,000 delegates had registered to attend the AGA, both in person and by Zoom.
Among the many dignitaries in attendance was new Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty, who brought greetings from the federal government.
With such strong AGA numbers, said Chartrand, “Now she knows when she looks at me across the table when we’re talking, I’m saying ‘I represent the people’; she’ll know damn well that I represent the people. And she’ll know that I’ve got the back of the people, and the people have my back.”
Among the achievements that Chartrand shared was that the MMF owns a million sq. ft. of downtown property, not only situated in Winnipeg, but now in Ottawa as well. “And we’re not finished buying.” And why? “We’re looking toward the future. One of the great things that (historic Métis leader Louis) Riel taught us is that we have to take care of ourselves,” Chartrand said. It’s important not to just think of tomorrow, but to look decades into the future, to contemplate things that are coming to challenge the Métis, he said.
“We can’t be worried about a political party that gets elected that may not like us or want to do anything with us…. So we’ve got to get ready for the next round… We need to see the future, and we need to take control of that future.”
Chartrand talked about the millions of annual investments made in the university and college education of thousands of Métis youth. And, while he said he was reluctant to say so publicly in case governments decide to hold back dollars to the MMF, Chartrand boasted they had $100 million in interest earnings.
“That $100 million is for our future.” The job before them is to protect that money and plan for that future, he said.
Among his hopes is that the refurbishment of the Port at Churchill in northern Manitoba will be among the major projects announced by Canada before the Grey Cup National Football League final Nov. 16. It’s the deadline given by Prime Minister Mark Carney for the next project decisions to be made.
Chartrand said he had his fingers crossed for the Churchill project, saying it would “create a glow of opportunity in the north.” In his statement to the Senate during hearings about Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, which comprises the Building Canada Act, Chartrand said the MMF would be interested in investing their dollars for equity ownership on such major projects.
In her remarks, Minister Alty committed to getting the MMF self-government agreement passed through Parliament.
Chartrand said that would be this Fall. Saying that the MMF had the support of the Bloc Québécois, the New Democratic Party and the Liberals, he’s confident the “treaty” legislation will pass. He’s hoping, however, the legislation will be brought forward on its own and not bundled as part of a package where it might get derailed.
“I want our country to show how they feel and (whether) they believe in us or not. We built this country, we died for this country, we paid a price, and we still pay a price today.”
Among his concerns is that Red River Métis are still being treated as criminals when they exercise their constitutionally protected rights. Chartrand brought up specific examples of Métis being charged for fishing even though they had MMF-issued harvester cards.
He worries about the high unemployment rate — in some places 70 per cent — of Métis in rural Manitoba. Additionally, citizens are still being denied health benefits, he said, and get only “trickles of education” and housing dollars.
“We sure as hell do not get our fair share of taxes returned to us,” he said. “But I want to make sure when I leave here… when the young generation that’s going to take over…that that person has the head start we never had.”
He is calling on governments to formulate Métis-specific economic plans that will augment the economic strategy of the MMF.
“It just takes courage to say, ‘I’m going to do it’ and say ‘hey, let’s make a change’… Small ideas can make significant change.”
He said the relationship between some First Nations leaders and Métis is also troubling. Some First Nations chiefs are working to deny Métis Section 35 rights, Chartrand said. He called on those chiefs to see the benefits of standing together with Métis on economic investments and to endeavor to support each other’s businesses. But some can’t, he said.
“Is jealousy that strong? Because it’s about jealousy. This is not about rights. This is about a group that doesn’t believe that we should have what we have,” said Chartrand.
“Instead, those chiefs would rather go against us and see us as an enemy. I can’t believe it. Those are our cousins…. I hate the thought that we are going to have this fight. Because they better understand that we are not going to back down and nobody’s going to push us around. Not as long as I’m your president. Never.”