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Métis Nation urges adoption of UN Declaration

The Métis National Council applauds the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development for passing a motion urging Canada’s full support of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and thanks Member of Parliament Anita Neville for bringing this forward. 

That motion by the Standing Committee is very timely.  Today, the 3rd Committee of the General Assembly will take action on the UN Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  The MNC issued a statement today to the United Nations stating the Métis Nation’s positions on the right of self-determination and Canada’s statements of recognition at the UN recognizing that right which are now binding on Canada.

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People started in 1982 when the Working Group on Indigenous Populations met for the first time. On Dec 23, 1994, the UN decided to celebrate the day on Aug 9 annually. Indigenous people are ethnic minorities, who are the pre-colonisation descendants of the original habitants of a region. The reason why they are termed “indigenous” is because they have retained their linguistic, cultural and organisational characteristics. Their number is over 300 million in the world.

The indigenous people are often looked down upon by the society. In fact philosophers like Hobbes and Rousseau called them “savages” and “noble savages” respectively.

The year 2005-2014 was declared the second International Decade of theWorld’s Indigenous People by the United Nations.

Project Nicaragua

Photo galleries from the trip are available at the end of the article

Ottawa, ON (June 26, 2006) – Métis National Council President Clément Chartier, MNC Director of Health Kim Bulger and University of Alberta Professor Frank Tough along with myself, recently returned to Canada from an eye-opening trip to Nicaragua.

As we emerged from the Continental Airlines flight and landed in Nicaragua’s capital city of Managua. Although the sun was already set, a wave of heat greeted us as we arrived in the developing nation.

The last time President Chartier visited here in the 1980’s, the country was in turmoil. War had broken out. The Sandinistas, a left wing Nicaraguan political party and the American backed Contra rebels were at odds. Nicaraguan’s Aboriginal population was caught in the middle battling for their rights and their lives. To shine a light on the atrocities to the world, President Chartier brought the issue to the attention of the United Nations. Today, the fighting has stopped but not the push for Aboriginal rights which the Miskitu, Nicaragua’s Aboriginal population, say still eludes them.

Of particular concern, is the desperate need for adequate health services which we in Canada take for granted – medication, health education, nurses and doctors. Deep in the jungles of Nicaragua where thousands of Miskitu live, prevention and education are critical due to a lack of medication and doctors.

Those who are trying to help such as Human Rights Activist Lottie Cunningham and Dr. Florence Levy with Health Unlimited guided us to remote villages to see and hear first hand from community leaders. By truck, we traveled along narrow grid roads to the villages of Kum and Bilwaskarma in Northern Nicaragua, to meet with residents. They explained how they had medical centres but often, there are no drugs available to treat those in pain and suffering. Malaria and water born illnesses are common here. Despite the obvious medical struggles though, the Miskitu were friendly and welcomed us with open arms.

For President Chartier, it was also an opportunity to renew old acquaintances he remembered meeting during the war. And he discussed the possibility of the Métis Nation lending a helping hand in the region. He explained how the MNC Director of Health Kim Bulger is working with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to develop a health related project for developing regions of the world. President Chartier’s past experiences and desire to help out the Aboriginal population led us to Nicaragua.

Professor Tough made a presentation to law students at Moravo University in Bilwi about Métis land rights, past and pending courts cases and the history of Scrip. Ironically, the struggles for land rights in Nicaragua are very similar to what’s happening in our own country.

As for myself, I captured our trip with snapshots of the countryside, the housing, and the people to offer a clear sense of the challenges. If approved by CIDA, we hope to return to Nicaragua to launch a health project which we know won’t cure all that ails the Miskitu population of Nicaragua, but may be a start to building a community based project which they can take and build upon. I’m also looking forward to returning with a production team to capture the project on video and share the work with Nicaraguan’s and Canadian’s alike. It’s an opportunity for the Métis Nation to build a bond with Aboriginal people in Nicaragua, to share and to make a difference no matter how big or small. Stay tuned!

Photo Galleries

Flags and a map of Nicaragua

Nicaraguan countryside

Nicaraguan wildlife

Nicaraguan committee hosts meeting with Métis delegation following visit to remote communities to discuss health direction

President Clem meets with Brooklyn Rivera at his Government headquarters in Puerta Cabezsa (Case de Gobierno Regional RAAN)

Town council welcoming dinner at Yatama meeting hall in Bilwi in municipality of Puerto Cabezas

Elizabeth Henriquez Mayor and President of AMICA hosts meeting with Métis delegation in Bilwi in the munipalitio of Puerto Cabezas

Bilwi people and activities

Town meeting with Metis committee and residents of Bilwaskarma

Town meeting with Metis committee and residents of Koom

At University of Moravo, Professor Tough makes Métis Land Rights presentation to Law students

President Clem meets an old friend David who lost a leg during the War

Health Unlimited works with 10 communities along Nicaraguan North coast

Town of Waspam along the Rio Coco River

Hospital destroyed during the War

War memorial to honour soldiers from el Municipio de Waspam

Graveyard near Municipio de Waspam

Misc

Fifth Session Of The United Nations Permanent Forum On Indigenous Issues

View Photo Gallery from Opening Ceremonies

View Photo Gallery from Afternoon Discussions

View Photo Gallery from HIV Discussion

Ottawa, ON (May 18, 2006) – The 5th Session of the Permanent forum on Indigenous Issues is underway at the United Nations in New York City, NY.   Métis National Council President Clément Chartier was on hand along with Indigenous leaders from around the world to discuss key issues facing Aboriginal peoples. 

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is an advisory body which addresses indigenous issues from around the globe.  Whether they are social, economic, cultural, environmental, health related, education or human rights, the challenges facing the Indigenous peoples of the world are enormous.

Métis Culture proudly displayed at Smithsonian National Museum

Photo Gallery here

Ottawa, ON (May 12, 2006) – When you walk in the front doors of the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington, DC, you enter a large foyer.  Once inside, you see a group of canoes made by indigenous peoples of the world including a large Voyageur canoe.   A sense of peace warms over you as the sunlight streams in from windows high above creating a rainbow on the wooden floor. 

Ethnohistorical Evidence and Aboriginal Claims in Canada and the United States : A Review of Past and Present First Nations, Métis, and Tribal Claims

Photo Gallery of Woodrow Wilson Centre for Scholars here

Ottawa, ON  (May 8, 2006) - Métis National Council President Clément Chartier had the pleasure in early May 2006, of speaking at the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Centre for Scholars in Washington, D.C. 

President Chartier met recently in Washington at the Indian Law Resource Centre with Armstrong Wiggins to discuss issues of mutual importance to the Métis Nation.

Photo Gallery of Indian Law Resourse Centre here

MNC President Clément Chartier represents Métis Nation at OAS

Photo Gallery here

Ottawa, ON (April 1, 2006) - Representatives of the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS), Indigenous peoples and organizations of the Americas met in Brasilia, Brazil, from March 21 to 25, 2006.  They continued their negotiations on the Daft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  Métis National Council President Clément Chartier attended this seventh meeting of negotiations on the Draft Declaration on behalf of the Métis Nation.  The seventh meeting considered the sixth and first sections of the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  The representatives also considered new proposals for section VI of the Chair’s consolidated text.  These texts were prepared by the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus of the Americas which met in Antigua, Guatemala, from October 7 to 10, 2005.  The Métis National Council sent Professor Paul Chartrand to the meeting in Guatemala. 

For additional information:
Robert McDonald
Director of Public & Media Relations
email: robertm@metisnation.ca