Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 10/02) - Indigenous North Slave Metis should take a hard look at what the president of the North Slave Metis Alliance is doing because he is teetering on the brink of a disaster, says a Metis political activist.

Bill Enge, president of Yellowknife Metis Nation Local 66, said alliance president Clem Paul's words after a recent federal court loss against the Dogrib Nation show what kind of man he really is.

"It's despicable," said Enge. "It's pretty ugly."

Paul, a member of the Dogrib Rae band, said he "didn't have an ounce of Dogrib blood" in him, in response to a question about his membership with the Dogrib Rae band.

Paul recently lost an attempt to stop the Dogrib land claim.

The Rae band is a member of the Dogrib Nation.

"He has despicably insulted the Dogrib people by denying that he is a member of them," said Enge.

Paul said Enge is misguided in his accusations.

"The reason I applied for status is not to get Indian status but to get treaty status," said Paul. "I have nothing against the Dogrib people I am just proud to be a Metis like the Mohawk are proud to be Mohawk and the Dogrib are proud to be Dogrib."

Enge said Paul is wasting Metis "inheritance money" on a "risky enterprise" by pursing federal court civil action to cement Metis rights in the North Slave region and lay the ground work for a land claim.

Lawyers for the federal government -- also named in the civil action -- targeted Paul's dual membership with the Metis Alliance and the Rae band in the alliance's recent court loss.

Enge said this point will be exploited by government lawyers again in the civil action.

"The issue is whether or not Paul can represent the Metis," said Enge.

"If he lost the civil action on a technicality he could bankrupt the North Slave Metis Alliance," said Enge.

Enge said the alliance is now on the hook for $500,000 after losing its case against the Dogrib on May 31.

Paul said Enge is off the mark in his estimates.

"When I took over (in 1995) we had annual income of $14,000 and now we do $16 million in business every year for the North and we have over 65 employees," said Paul.

Paul said the his organization is spending $200,000 on the case a year which is a "fraction" of its budget.

Enge, who is currently involved in a five-year-old court battle he launched against Paul to remove him from office, is unmoved.

"I'm working hard to put an end to Clem Paul's tyranny," said Enge. "These appear to be the desperate acts of a tyrant."

He charges that Paul cannot be the president of the Metis organization because he is a status Indian.

Paul also revoked Enge and his family's membership with the alliance.

Paul said Enge's comment is nothing more than water off a duck's back.

"I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with that guy," said Paul.