Some Métis leaders deny president's statement that self-interest is fuelling political disunity

Some Métis leaders are rejecting the outgoing Métis National Council (MNC) president's statement that their national unity is being divided by the self-interest, impatience and ambitions of a few.

Cassidy Caron made the comment this week in a statement addressing the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan's decision to leave the national organization, following the Manitoba Métis Federation's exit in 2021.

While she didn't name anyone, Caron said "some leaders have forgotten about our greater responsibility to each other and to nationhood."

Will Goodon, MMF minister of housing, saw Caron's comments as a swipe at Manitoba and Saskatchewan leadership.

In parting ways with the MNC, the two groups cited concerns that the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) continues to represent people who aren't Métis. Goodon believes the withdrawals protect rather than divide the nation.

Thousands of delegates, representing the collective will of the federation's Red River Métis citizens, authorized MMF to pull out over the long-simmering identity dispute with Ontario, Goodon countered.

"It's not because of self-interest. The self-interest is what's happening in Ontario to keep those fake communities," he said in an interview. "We left because the MNC had become a place for identity fraud and identity theft to be moved forward at a massive scale."

MNO denies that its communities are fake or engaged in identity theft, often citing the Supreme Court of Canada's 2003 recognition of a Métis community in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

MNO and the Ontario government jointly recognized six more communities as "historic" in 2017. Goodon argued it's the council's support for MNO's communities that causes division.

"That's what's caused the splinter," he said. "Manitoba and Saskatchewan, literally the heart and the soul of the historic Métis Nation, have left because the Métis National Council is a reckless, feckless, dysfunctional organization."

Métis Nation—Saskatchewan President Glen McCallum, when asked for a response to Caron's statement, said, "I could easily get angry, but I'm not." 

His group is focused on building a government, delivering results and doing what's best collectively for Métis people in his province, McCallum said in an interview.

"I would never make a decision based on my personal interest," he said. "I represent 80,000 [people] in the province of Saskatchewan. Over 30,000 are registered. Those are the citizens I represent, not myself."

In a follow-up statement to CBC Indigenous on Friday, Caron said she worked to transform the national council into a credible, respected and transparent organization despite facing misogyny and ageism every step of the way, like other women leaders in Canada.