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Kootenay Métis Nation director attends Crown Summit

Marilyn Fayant Taylor was part of the MNBC panel that met in Ottawa
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Marilyn Fayant Taylor, regional director for Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC), travelled from Trail to Ottawa last week to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the Crown Summit, which was held in the capital city on Thursday.

This is the third Summit for PM Trudeau and the Métis Nation since 2015, and it ended with the common resolve of the Prime Minister and Métis Nation leadership to continue their co-development of policies and programs to advance self-government and socio-economic development for the Métis people.

From left: Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; Lissa Smith, MNBC Vice President; MNBC President Clara Morin Dal Col; Kootenay regional director Marilyn Fayant Taylor; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Chris Gall, Director of Natural Resources MNBC; Lower Mainland regional director Gary Biggar; and Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Indigenous Services.

Joint Crown-Métis Nation Press Release:

The third Summit of Prime Minister Trudeau with the Métis Nation since the Liberals came to power in 2015 ended with the common resolve of the Prime Minister and Métis Nation leadership to continue their co-development of policies and programs to advance self-government and socio-economic development for the Métis people.

In his opening statement, Prime Minister Trudeau said reconciliation efforts will span generations but said the government has come a long way in working with the Metis Nation on long-standing challenges, including housing and post-secondary education.

“I really want to put forward this relationship as the model of what reconciliation can be,” stated Trudeau.

President Clément Chartier applauded the dedication of the Prime Minister to fulfilling his vision of reconciliation, saying the Metis Nation has witnessed it in action working with his cabinet ministers on Métis Nation priorities under the Canada-Métis Nation Accord. He presented the Prime Minister with the Order of the Metis Nation, the highest award for people who have made a significant contribution to the Métis.

The Summit opening also included a short video of 98 year-old Paul Delorme, a veteran of the Dieppe raid in 1942, receiving the first cheque of $20,000 under the $30-million Métis Veterans Recognition Payment Agreement that was put into effect at the end of the Summit by Métis Nation Veterans Minister David Chartrand and federal Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence A. MacAulay.

The Summit then reviewed progress in social and economic policy areas including child and family services, languages, health, post-secondary education, economic development and homelessness.

It also looked at the new fiscal relationship between the federal government and Métis Nation governments and plans to improve data collection and track results of the many federal investments in the Métis Nation.

The Summit set Year 3 Priorities which will include: education K-12; justice and policing; youth and sports; Métis s35 rights; environment, clean growth and infrastructure; and Métis Nation 2020.

It concluded with the signing of sub-accords under the Canada-Métis Nation Accord in the areas of post-secondary education, economic development, homelessness and governance funding.



Sheri Regnier

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