Fortunat Guiboche on the land claims case!

Dear Blogmaster:

For some time I have questioned the Manitoba Metis Federation's right to bring a lawsuit before the courts claiming it represents all the province's Metis citizens who have direct ties to our historic Nation. Before this case was heard I also made the governments of Canada and Manitoba aware of my position with respect to this issue. For the record, the Minister of Justice/Attorney General of Canada in a letter to me stated:

Dear Mr. Guiboche:

Thank you for your correspondence of March 18 and March 15, 2006.

In your email of March 8, 2006, you raise a concern about the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) litigation. Specifically you are concerned that the Manitoba Metis Federation does not represent your interests, or the interests of all Metis in Manitoba, without their express consent.

The trial for this matter started on Monday, April 3, 2006 in the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench, Winnipeg. Accordingly, it is not appropriate for me to comment in any detail on this issue. That said, it is a matter of public record that the Government of Canada has questioned the MMF's ability to properly represent all Metis who may have an interest in this case (the legal term for this is "standing"). Standing remains a live issue in this case.

You may wish to raise your concerns with the MMF directly, if you have not done so already. Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns regarding this matter.

Yours Sincerely,
Vic Toews

Note: Well I most certainly made the MMF aware of my position. Where this will all end is now up in the air. The case is an individual and personal matter for the descendants of the original land owners. No one else has that right - it is false representation to claim you (Manitoba Metis Federation) have it without the consent of those interested persons.