Image
Image Caption
By Shari Narine
Windspeaker Contributor
LAC LA BICHE, Alta.
The governance structure of the Metis Nation of Alberta is coming under fire by “member of good standing” Corey-Ann Pruden. She says a lack of oversight from the provincial office is allowing locals in Region 1 to “run amok”.
Pruden said she has been taking her concerns to MNA President Audrey Poitras for years, but it’s only been at recent meetings in Conklin and Lac La Biche that Poitras started listening.
“I told her, ‘I’m done arguing with you. You need to really talk to me because … obviously you’re not paying attention to what’s really going on here’,” said Pruden.
Pruden’s most recent discussions with Poitras came after the president sent a letter of reprimand to Region 1 President Diane Scoville.
Region 1 had passed a resolution in mid-February to begin action to suspend Vice President Daniel Cardinal. In her letter, Poitras said dismissing an executive member at the local level was not supported by existing bylaws.
Cardinal told Windspeaker.com he and Scoville had been “at odds” since 2015. He alleges that half the presidents that form the Region 1 executive do not have voting rights.
“They’re not legit to sit as locals,” he asserts. “I gathered that from Corporate Registry.”
Cardinal said one local was struck from the Corporate Registry for not filing financials from 2002 to 2015. He said the proper steps to re-activate that local have yet to be taken.
As for four other locals, Cardinal asserts they are in contravention of bylaws as they have not held annual meetings for several years.
“Therefore these presidents (of these locals) could not and should not have voted on any issues, motions, business, or been recognized at the regional council table,” Cardinal said.
Scoville says the only local not in good standing – and has been excluded from the Region 1 website – is Lac La Biche Local 2097.
Cardinal, who is a member of that local, officiated over the election held in President Brenda Bourque-Stratichuk’s home. The location of that meeting was cause for concern, said Scoville, but she admits the bylaws are “very vague” as to where meetings can be held.
“In order for government to take us seriously we have to seriously … take a look at how we govern ourselves,” said Scoville.
Pruden agrees and says transparency and accountability are needed, two fronts on which Scoville has been lacking, Pruden alleges.
Pruden also alleges that she has been discriminated against “based on the protected ground of family status.” She says she has been turned down for post-secondary education funding for the past four years and has launched a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission.
Pruden said she will be challenging Scoville and the presidents of the locals to open their financial records to her. She says she wants to see how agreements signed with industry by the locals are benefiting the entire region.
Last year, Fort Chipewyan, Fort McMurray and Lakeland locals all signed participation agreements relating to the Frontier Project, operated by Teck Resources Ltd. The terms of the specific agreements are confidential, said Chris Stannell, spokesman with Teck, but they “identify economic and social benefits and opportunities.”
While the Fort McKay local did not sign such an agreement, the Fort McKay Metis Community Association did. Both the Fort McKay local and the community association are headed by Ron Quintal.
Pruden said that similar agreements with industry have been signed by these same locals along with Fort Chip, Buffalo Lake, Conklin, Owl River, and Athabasca Landing, but she has seen no record of how these economic benefits have been used.
To this end, she is requesting access to review interim financial statements, annual statements, accounts payable, and contracts from 2010 to April 2, 2018.
Pruden said it has been difficult for Region 1’s Metis citizens to attend regular meetings. Although the majority of Metis live in Lac La Biche, the regular meetings have been held in Fort McMurray and area. February’s annual general meeting took place in Fort Chip.
Cardinal calls Metis politics “cut throat,” but that isn’t reason enough for him to not run again in August. Except this time, he’ll be vying for the position of president of the region.
Pruden said she will be running for the first time and is hoping to become the region’s next vice president.
Scoville said she hasn’t decided whether she will run again.
Both Scoville and Cardinal were in attendance at a closed-door Metis Provincial Council meeting last night in Edmonton. Neither would tell Windspeaker.com what the topic of discussion was.
“We have to have a calm sit down stage…. And just keep us out of the media until at least after Easter,” said Scoville.
She said Region 1 will hold a council meeting in April. Neither a date nor a location has been set.
“I don’t know what’s going to come after Easter,” said Scoville.
The MNA provincial office did not respond to Windspeaker.com’s request for an interview.