Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 12, 2007

HAY RIVER - The Northwest Territory Metis Nation is considering a larger role for elders in its leadership structure.

At a Nov. 3 annual general assembly in Hay River, delegates directed leadership to begin a process to canvas elders by way of assembly or survey, and to bring forward a mechanism that gives elders a number of guaranteed votes before March 2008.

The issue will then be discussed at a special assembly.

The resolution followed sometimes passionate discussion by delegates from Hay River, Fort Smith and Fort Resolution.

The elders are already included in many leadership roles, but the idea is to give them a more prominent voice in decision making.

George Kurszewski, of Fort Smith, said a motion at last year's assembly supported the idea of 10 elders from each community becoming voting delegates, but nothing has been done since.

Elders are wise, Kurszewski said. "They know what they're doing."

Kara King, president of the Fort Resolution Metis Council, also supported a larger voice for elders.

"It seems like we're stalling," she said.

Ken Hudson, the president of the Fort Smith Metis Council, said he himself is an elder.

"We're not totally without elders at the table," he said.

Hudson said elders have to get together and let the Metis Nation know what they want.

Maggie Kurszewski, an elder from Fort Smith, said elders should have more of a say.

"We know the issues," she said. "We live here."

A number of other resolutions were passed at the assembly.

Delegates supported the decision of the board of directors to promote Shannon Cumming to chief negotiator for the land and resources negotiation process.

The board of directors are to develop policy and seek funding for the management of traditional use knowledge, including intellectual property, and the advancement and retention of the Chipewyan and Cree languages.

The assembly supported striking a committee to provide recommendations on preserving dwindling caribou herds.

The assembly also called for a halt to uranium exploration in Metis traditional territory and for government funding so the organization can become meaningfully involved in consultations on uranium-related activity.