CONGRATULATIONS MR. DUMONT AND YOUR LEGAL DEFENCE TEAM!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
By Dan Lett
The Winnipeg Free Press
He may have just lost an election, but Métis leader Yvon Dumont was able to win a key legal battle with some of his most vocal political opponents.
This week, a Court of Queen's Bench judge dismissed a suit claiming Dumont had breached a clause in an employment contract with the Métis National Council that prevented him from seeking political office for two years after leaving the post of national governor of the Métis people.
Justice John Menzies determined the clause restricting Dumont from seeking political office was "unenforceable for violating the public interest." Neither Dumont nor his legal counsel would comment on the decision, but the lawsuit had been a costly and time-consuming affair for the former Manitoba lieutenant governor and former president of the Manitoba Métis Federation.
Murray Trachtenberg, the Winnipeg lawyer representing the MNC, could not be reached for comment.
The decision comes just two weeks after Dumont failed in a bid to unseat Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand in a general election. Chartrand was re-elected June 29 with support of more than 70 per cent of voters.
The suit is a prime example of the complex relationships and bad blood that exist in Manitoba Métis politics, particularly among the camps supporting Dumont and Chartrand. The suit alleged Dumont violated the terms of his employment contract with the Métis National Council, which appointed Dumont governor of the Métis nation in 1999 after he had finished his five-year term as Manitoba's lieutenant governor. The position was largely ceremonial and intended to promote Métis culture across Canada.
In 2001, Dumont sparked concern when he ran unsuccessfully to become president of the MNC while still serving as governor. As a result, in 2002, the MNC set down terms of reference for Dumont that required him to remain out of elected Métis politics for two years after he left his national position.
Dumont ultimately resigned as governor in January 2003 and within a week had declared his intention to run for president of the Manitoba Métis Federation against incumbent David Chartrand. Dumont lost that election by two-dozen votes and failed in the courts to have the results overturned.
Dumont's lawyers argued the suit was a thinly veiled attempt by Chartrand and his allies at the MNC to prevent his principal political opponent from challenging for the leadership of the MMF. They argued the suit was timed to put Dumont under financial stress just as he was mounting another bid for president.
Menzies stated that Dumont did violate the politics clause of his contract with the Métis National Council. But that the clause was "unenforceable" because it could not be proved that stopping Chartrand from running for office was in the public interest.
Dumont is expected to have his legal costs covered by the MNC, although an agreement on the exact amount has yet to be finalized.
dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
By Dan Lett
The Winnipeg Free Press
He may have just lost an election, but Métis leader Yvon Dumont was able to win a key legal battle with some of his most vocal political opponents.
This week, a Court of Queen's Bench judge dismissed a suit claiming Dumont had breached a clause in an employment contract with the Métis National Council that prevented him from seeking political office for two years after leaving the post of national governor of the Métis people.
Justice John Menzies determined the clause restricting Dumont from seeking political office was "unenforceable for violating the public interest." Neither Dumont nor his legal counsel would comment on the decision, but the lawsuit had been a costly and time-consuming affair for the former Manitoba lieutenant governor and former president of the Manitoba Métis Federation.
Murray Trachtenberg, the Winnipeg lawyer representing the MNC, could not be reached for comment.
The decision comes just two weeks after Dumont failed in a bid to unseat Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand in a general election. Chartrand was re-elected June 29 with support of more than 70 per cent of voters.
The suit is a prime example of the complex relationships and bad blood that exist in Manitoba Métis politics, particularly among the camps supporting Dumont and Chartrand. The suit alleged Dumont violated the terms of his employment contract with the Métis National Council, which appointed Dumont governor of the Métis nation in 1999 after he had finished his five-year term as Manitoba's lieutenant governor. The position was largely ceremonial and intended to promote Métis culture across Canada.
In 2001, Dumont sparked concern when he ran unsuccessfully to become president of the MNC while still serving as governor. As a result, in 2002, the MNC set down terms of reference for Dumont that required him to remain out of elected Métis politics for two years after he left his national position.
Dumont ultimately resigned as governor in January 2003 and within a week had declared his intention to run for president of the Manitoba Métis Federation against incumbent David Chartrand. Dumont lost that election by two-dozen votes and failed in the courts to have the results overturned.
Dumont's lawyers argued the suit was a thinly veiled attempt by Chartrand and his allies at the MNC to prevent his principal political opponent from challenging for the leadership of the MMF. They argued the suit was timed to put Dumont under financial stress just as he was mounting another bid for president.
Menzies stated that Dumont did violate the politics clause of his contract with the Métis National Council. But that the clause was "unenforceable" because it could not be proved that stopping Chartrand from running for office was in the public interest.
Dumont is expected to have his legal costs covered by the MNC, although an agreement on the exact amount has yet to be finalized.
dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
posted by Clare L. Pieuk at 9:03 AM
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