Minister of Children and Family Development
Honourable Stephanie Cadieux

Re: Letter Dated November 6th, 2012 Ref #208420 Via Email

Please accept this letter as appreciation for your response to the BC Métis Federation letter sent to your Ministry dated October 16th, 2012 concerning funding for implementation of the Mètis Service Delivery Framework.

While we appreciate any efforts by your Ministry to respond I reiterate a point set out in that previous correspondence. The MOU signed by MCFD with MNBC does not represent a number of Section 35 interests of our communities and families and therefore we question what role if any MNBC has in this process for service delivery of such non-political services? MNBC is a political organization with diminishing membership and recently ran an improper election resulting in very few Mètis voters participate in their process. As such we would request that BC Mètis Federation is allowed to attend any future meeting if there is any discussion about the contents of our October 16th, 2012 letter to your Ministry. This would be a fair and appropriate manner to address questions. BC Métis Federation should be added as a signatory to this MOU considering our legitimate mandate to support our Mètis families throughout BC. We would be pleased to answer any of our points and views considering we now represent the collective interests of approximately 6300 members.

We further repeat MCFD and the Provincial Government must reconsider providing a funding allocation directly to MCCF in order for the work to be completed in Phase Three of the Métis Child Welfare Service Delivery Framework. As previously stated this is not about which Métis political organization is or is not fulfilling its responsibilities; this is about the Métis children who are in care and those who unfortunately will be in care in the future. It is their lives that will change for the worse as a result of the government’s decision to rescind original commitments of collaboration and partnership with the Métis people of this province to address the current and future Mètis children and family issues.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and we look forward to future consultations with MCFD officials. I can be reached at 778-388-5013.

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

cc BC Mètis Federation Board

Honourable Ida Chong, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation
Dr. Deborah Canada, CEO, MCCF
Judy Smith, CEO, Métis Family Services
Blair Harvey, President, Métis Family Services
Colleen Spier, ED, Island Métis Community Services
Bill Bresser, President, Island Métis Community Services
Val Richards, Interim ED, Métis Community Services Society of BC
Dr. Marlene Cox-Bishop, President, Métis Community Services Society of BC
Colleen Lucier, ED, Lii Michif Otipemisiwak Family and Community Services
Kathy Hinter, President, Lii Michif Otipemisiwak Family and Community Services
Dawn Murphy, ED, Kikino Métis Child and Family Services Society
Korey Lafontaine, President, Kikino Métis Child and Family Services Society
Jeanie Cardinal, Associate ED, White Buffalo Aboriginal and Métis Health Society
Dr. Aruna Gore, President, White Buffalo Aboriginal & Métis Health Society
Marlene Swears, CEO, Cariboo Chilcotin Métis Association Family Services
Tony Goulet, ED, North Cariboo Métis Association
Rose Bortolon, President, Prince George Métis Elders Society
Enclosure: MCFD Correspondence November 6th, 2012

[ilink url=”/wp-content/uploads/BCMF-Letter-for-MCFD-November-14th-2012-2.pdf” style=”download”]BCMF Letter for MCFD November 14th, 2012[/ilink]
[ilink url=”/wp-content/uploads/MCFD-Letter-to-BC-Metis-Federation-November-2012.pdf” style=”download”]MCFD Letter to BC Metis Federation November 2012[/ilink]