Tony Belcourt to run for Métis National Council President

As in most honorable people – there is no speculation – no interpretation but an honest upfront announcement that clearly states your intention. Good show Tony – If the other candidates believed in what they were doing they would demonstrate a good political campaign that is based on their accomplishments and a vision for the future – not Back Room Politics and Mud Slinging!

OTTAWA (February 4, 2008) --- Tony Belcourt, President of the Métis Nation of Ontario, has announced that he will be a candidate for President of the Métis National Council. The election for President will take place at the MNC General Assembly on February 23-24, 2008 at the Delta Ottawa Hotel in Ottawa.

“We need to come together as a Nation. Today, across the Métis Nation, we share collective concerns: our health care and care for our seniors, education, unemployment, housing, the environment, justice for the victims of the residential school era, justice for our veterans and the recognition of our Constitutional rights, including the rights to land and respect of our right to hunt and fish for food everywhere throughout the Métis homeland,” Mr. Belcourt said. “It is critical that we unite, that we bring these shared issues to the doorstep of Parliament, that together we take our rightful place at the negotiation table with the Federal Government.”
“My experience over four decades of involvement in the Métis Nation and in Aboriginal issues generally gives us the opportunity to set a new, united direction for the Métis National Council in dealing with the Government of Canada, the Premiers, business leaders and other Aboriginal leaders,” Mr. Belcourt said. “We are a proud people, rich in our culture, tradition and values; a people of great accomplishment with a vibrant youthful population offering great promise for the future. I want to work towards the development of a strong national voice that will inspire our people to bring their talents and knowledge to the Métis cause and to build upon our values of self-determination and self-sufficiency.

“Collectively we have an incredible depth of human resources within our Nation, in particular among Métis women and our elders whose knowledge and unique perspectives are so often overlooked. Our people are more educated now than we ever have been in our past and our population is growing exponentially. So our potential at this point in our history is great, but the challenges facing the Métis Nation remain. We have clear-cutting within our traditional territories right up to our front doors. We have levels of poverty and unemployment within our communities that far surpass the mainstream. Our language is in real danger of disappearing. We need to bind together for the common good of our people and our communities. That is the challenge facing the Métis Nation and I have every confidence that with the right focus we can meet that challenge and achieve the aspirations that our people have sought for generations.”
Tony Belcourt, who was born in Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, has served in many capacities within the Métis Nation throughout his career, including as Vice-President of the Métis Nation of Alberta and founding President of the Native Council of Canada. In 1993 he was instrumental in founding the Métis Nation of Ontario and has served as its President since then. He has led the Métis hunt for justice that resulted in the landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in R v. Powley in 2003 which ruled that the Métis right to hunt and fish for food was an existing Constitutional right. He has served as the Métis National Council’s representative at the international level for many years and participated in the negotiations that led to the recent adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He has served on many boards including the Governing Council of Trent University's Ph.D. program in Native Studies. In 2006 he received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Public Service. One of his proudest accomplishments is the “Nation-to-Nation” relationship that has been established between the Métis Nation of Ontario and the Anishinabek Nation.

For further information, see these websites: www.metisnation.org/tonybelcourt.html or www.metisnation.org

Ph: Tony Belcourt at 1-613-798-1488 ext 108 or 1-888-690-0823
Katelin Peltier 613-859-7130 - Cell