The following letter was sent to MNBC attention Bruce Dumont – President, Dave Hodson – Vice President, Bob Trumbley, Treasurer…

Dear Bruce, Dave, and Bob;

The BC Métis Federation is pleased that our recent public pressure has once again forced MNBC to deal with the delay of the student living allowances provided by the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS) program. I have been now informed that student allowances have been sent this week and although over 8 days late, the students will have the support MNBC has approved to ensure they can pay rent, food, etc.

However the question remains for each of you, why do these issues keep arising for MNBC? In my recent correspondence I asked you as MNBC leaders to explain the situation. One would have thought that MNBC has an obligation to explain to their Métis people in BC why there is any delay for MNBC making timely payments in this specific situation. True to form MNBC leadership was silent in spite of the fact each of you was elected in 2008 to be accountable and transparent.

Given the seriousness of the matter questions must be asked. Was Service Canada delinquent in their payment to MNBC and this caused the situation? Did the MNBC bank (RBC) take action and refused to release any more MNBC funding because your lines of credit are maximized? Was this due to issues with MNBC staff or perhaps the Regional Employment and Training Committee? What exactly happened and where does the accountability fall in these matters as the impacts of much needed student living allowances were felt immediately by these students? The fact remains that even though MNBC has made the student living allowance payments for now has this really solved the imminent financial issues given the unanswered questions? The BC Métis Federation does not believe so.

Here is what many of the grassroots Métis people see and continue to raise their own questions and discussion about:

1. MNBC has yet to provide your 2nd quarter report for the MNBC Debt Recovery Plan. The BC Métis Federation continues to call on this document because you as leaders made commitments in writing to submit monthly progress updates and timely reporting, MNBC leadership have not. Why?
2. MNBC has outright misled their members about the total MNBC debt. MNBC leaders actually got funding to product a Debt Recovery Plan and after consolidating the Métis School losses with the MNBC programming in 2010-2011 the total MNBC is in excess of $2.5 million and not $2.3 million as stated for months by MNBC leaders. How do you explain this?
3. MNBC recently shut down Meet so Catering Servicing Limited in October 2011 only after three months of operation. Why? How much was spent during the three months of operations? How much more money was lost and how does this further increase the total MNBC debt?
4. What programming is actually being delivered in the Métis School?
5. Plus so much more…

The MNBC Board must take responsibility and explain to the Métis people in BC what the true financial situation is. We encourage each of you to discontinue false realities. For example, it was announced in 2009 that $3.5 million was assured to the MNBC by the federal government for stimulus funding and to date this has never been correct. Last February MNBC President Bruce Dumont announced he had an agreement with the Prime Minister’s office to secure approximately $1.5 million in stimulus funding. He stated this as matter of fact yet still today, over 8 months later, there is no evidence of any announcements or agreements reached by MNBC and the Federal Government to support this statement.

In closing many of us do not understand why each of you continues in your role as MNBC leaders given the multitude of failures. The MNBC Board has no credibility remaining and the future is very dismal given your track records. For the good of the Nation resign, allow new leadership to review how bad the financial situation is and tell our Métis people the truth once and for all.

Thank you,

Keith Henry

President
British Columbia Métis Federation
Suite 300-3665 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC, V5R 5W2

cc:

BCMF Board of Directors
BCMF Members
Métis People of BC
MLAs
MPs (British Columbia)
Rod Cunningham, Service Canada

Downloads:

[ilink url=”/wp-content/uploads/BCMF-Letter-to-MNBC-November-9th-2011.pdf” style=”download”]Click here to download this letter in PDF format.[/ilink]