Dene National Chief says Mtis groups not needed after Supreme Court ruling

Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus says there "isn't much room for a Mtis Nation" following a landmark Supreme Court ruling earlier this month but Mtis in the Northwest Territories say Erasmus is talking nonsense.

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Earlier in April, the court held that non-status Indians and Mtis are "Indians" under Section 91(24) of the 1867 Constitutional Act.

The ruling extends the federal government's responsibilities to Mtis and non-status Aboriginal people not affiliated with specific reserves, suggesting those peoples will be able to negotiate new access to funding, programs and services.

On Tuesday, at a meeting of Dene chiefs in Yellowknife, Erasmus interpreted the verdict to mean "in law, there is no more Mtis."

Erasmus, whose organization represents 34 First Nations, bands and councils, said: "They can call themselves Mtis, but they are Indians."

He later added: "It's not clear to me if a Mtis association is needed because, if their membership are Indians, then they're under the authority of the bands."

Garry Bailey, leader of the N.W.T. Mtis Nation, said Erasmus had not correctly interpreted the Supreme Court's ruling.

"Definitely not," Bailey told CBC. "It still recognizes Mtis as a unique, distinct group on their own. It doesn't change anything, other than the fact that we now qualify for programs and services."

Bill Enge, president of the North Slave Mtis Alliance, could not be reached.

The court's ruling, in part, reads: "The fact that a group is a distinct people with a unique identity and history whose members selfidentify as separate from Indians, is not a bar to inclusion within s. 91(24)."

Inclusion within s. 91(24) refers to inclusion within the term "Indian" for the purposes of federal jurisdiction.

"There is no doubt that the Mtis are a distinct people," the judgment adds, in its analysis of relevant Canadian case law.

'I need to know'

The federal government is still establishing how to pay for its new responsibilities as assigned by the Supreme Court.

In an e-mailresponse on Wednesday, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada said: "We will be reviewing the decision closely and working with Indigenous partners and others to ensure we are following court direction as we move forward.

"In terms of what this decision may cost the federal government, we are studying the decision at a national level to determine next steps."

The territorial government's Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations said senior figures were taking part in a conference and could not immediately comment.

ButChief Ernest Betsina of theYellowknivesDene made it clear that some Dene leaders are worried about the Supreme Court ruling's potential impact on their funding.

"Funding is very important," said Betsina. "Is the funding going to be covering all these extra people that are Mtis and non-status? Or are we going to be fighting for the same money, the same little pot of money that we get now?

"Tell me what's happening. I need to know, being a chief. Do I have to fight even harder?

"Is the federal government because of the Supreme Court ruling willing to back up their words? Are they going to loosen their purse strings? That's what I want to know."

At this week's meeting, Dene leaders decided to invite Mtis representatives to their coming assembly this summer.

Bailey welcomed that move, saying his Mtis group would "never throw away" the chance for dialogue.

But he dismissed theDene chiefs' concerns over a potential reduction in their funding."We've been left out for long enough," said Bailey. "I think it's time that we get recognized and start getting funding on an equal basis to First Nations, myself."