Found it - great idea!

Métis Group Calls For National Voters List
Last Updated: Monday, May 7, 2007 4:46 PM CT
CBC News (www.cbc.ca/sask/)

A group of Métis people worried about political interference in Métis elections wants one voters list for the whole country.

Right now, provincial organizations decide who can vote in Métis elections.As a result, says Bryan Lee of Christopher Lake, Sask., spokesman for Métis for Unity, he's had four Métis identification cards in his life.
After he lived outside the country for a while, he lost his right to vote in Métis elections completely.

That's why Lee and others would like to see one national ID card that all Métis could use.

He would also like to see the voters list administered by the federal government, with strict membership rules determined by the Métis National Council.

The change would eliminate political interference from the registration process, Lee said. "If you left Saskatchewan and went to British Columbia and you wanted to become involved in the local politics in British Columbia, you'd present your card again," he said. "You'd never be questioned ever again. And that's been a lot of the problem."

Having a national list might help avoid problems such as those that plagued the spring 2004 Saskatchewan Métis election. The results were later declared invalid. Plans are now underway for a new set of elections to be held later this year.

Lee said he's talked to Métis leaders in other provinces and they've been receptive to the idea of a national voters list. However, Ray Laliberte, the acting secretary treasurer with the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, says the idea would need to be studied further.

He's worried that a national list would take power away from the provincial councils.

"We want to ensure that to have some value as citizens within Western Canada, that we would continue to have and basically run our own affairs at the provincial level," he said.

Despite Laliberte's misgivings, Lee said his group will take the proposal to the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan later this year.

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CyberSmokeBlog:

Mr. Lee makes several good points. After Yvon Dumont lost his bid (20 votes - March 26, 2003 election) for the Presidency of the Manitoba Metis Federation, he challenged the results in Court of Queen's Bench and won. Unfortunately, the Manitoba Court of Appeal subsequently reversed the decision.

If you read the Appeal Court case management file it's replete with documentation regarding the reliability and accuracy of MMF "official" voters lists. After every election the Chief Electorial Officer is required to prepare a written post-mortem report for the Provincial Board of Directors. There you will find those of former provincial judge and CEO Alvin Hamilton in which he repeatedly raises this very issue. Matter of fact in 2000 he threatened not to participate if his recommendations were not acted upon.

What about C-31s - Metis who have acquired First Nations status but remain on Manitoba Metis Federation voters lists?

Then there's the question of election expense accountability. Candidates are not required to publicly disclose how much their campaign cost and from where the funds came as is the case with provincial and federal general votes. Elections Manitoba is powerless to intervene unless requested by the Federation. Bottom line: Last year's "example" was better than the wild, wild west at it's very best. The system is in need of a massive overhaul.