Métis say province has cut them out of reconciliation

Group calls on political parties to rectify situation

B.C.'S Métis have been left out of the reconciliation process and are underfunded in areas such as health care and education compared to First Nations, and the leader of their governing body said that has to change.

Métis Nation British Columbia, which has 22,000 members and says it speaks for the province's 90,000 Métis, sent a letter on Thursday to the leaders of the three major political parties in B.C., demanding the next government start recognizing Métis as a distinct people and enter into government-to-government talks about policy and programs that affect them.

“We want to hear the word Métis coming from their mouths,” said Métis B.C. president Clara Morin Dal Col. “It's about time they started to recognize Métis, which make up 30 per cent of Indigenous people in this province.”

The Métis group released a report on Friday that documented the differences in funding for First Nations in B.C. and Métis, including the $60 million that the First Nations Health Authority receives, compared to the $200,000 Métis receive for health care programs. A Métis spokesman said Métis are not eligible for services provided by the FNHA.

“Where is the equality in that?” said Morin Dal Col. “These responses are going to be critical to our people and how they vote. And Métis people do vote.”

NDP Leader John Horgan, Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson and Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau were asked by Postmedia to respond to the letters, which the MNBC emailed to them on Thursday afternoon.

A Green party spokeswoman said in an email: “We are taking time to review the letter so that we can provide a thoughtful response. Métis people face specific and unique challenges and we are supportive of dedicated funding to resolve these issues.”

A spokeswoman for Wilkinson said in an email the Liberals will comment after they've had a chance to read the letter.

The letter says “ignoring the Métis Nation has been a consistent and long-standing policy of successive provincial governments in B.C.” and that the government is focused on First Nations “at the exclusion of the Métis Nation.”

Marin Dal Col stressed that the Métis group isn't suggesting the province's First Nations are adequately funded or should lose funding to the Métis.

The letter requests funding for health care, education, skills training and rights for harvesting animals. Marin Dal Col said lobbying attempts have been ignored or “given lip service and go nowhere.”

She said B.C. has never recognized the distinct status of the Métis as guaranteed by Section 35 of the Constitution.

The letter asks the leaders to respond to seven points, including calls for better funding, a request to deal directly with the Métis group on lands, resources, self-government and economic development, an annual summit with the premier and cabinet on reconciliation and the chance to contribute to policy and programs for B.C. Métis people.

“It's the government that needs to recognize the Métis and we need to be treated equally,” she said.