The following letter was emailed out today to John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, on behalf of the BC Métis Federation Board of Directors…

Dear Minister Duncan,

As President of the British Columbia Métis Federation (BCMF), I am writing this letter to inform you of a critical political and economic situation created by the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) which is negatively impacting the Métis constituents of this province. Over the past 21 months a great number of Métis people have collectively united under one voice, hence the formation of newly formed BCMF, to address the current governance and financial mismanagement issues perpetuated by the MNBC. There is now corroborated evidence of vast financial mismanagement resulting in the current financial insolvency of the MNBC. As you are aware, the MNBC professes to represent the governance of the Métis people in British Columbia however; this crucial situation has led to both internal and external strife among BC Métis people ultimately resulting in a crumbling governance structure and the inability to deliver previously and currently funded programs and services.

The BCMF has done everything in its power to assist the MNBC in finding proactive solutions to address the financial overspending issues that it has created. I have enclosed the “MNBC Deficit Recovery Action Plan Year One” as submitted to the MNBC in February 2011 earlier this year as part of our proposed solutions. This document was accompanied with another companion document entitled “The Blueprint Strategy”. To date, there has been no resolution to address these financial and/or governance issues in a manner that will effectively re-establish MNBC to a position in which it can provide political representation, programs and services or the leadership that the Métis people of British Columbia so greatly deserve. As such, the BCMF has organized and implemented a governance structure plan to address both the concerns and needs of the Métis people and move the BC Métis people’s agenda forward.

As you will see by looking at the second document I have enclosed, entitled, “How the BCMF Came to Be” our incorporated organization has not emerged overnight and has taken all appropriate steps both formally and informally to ensure that we truly represent the voice of the Métis people of British Columbia at both the political and the grassroots level. As you will see upon reviewing the document, we have done extensive consultation throughout the province of British Columbia and we have attempted on numerous occasions to engage the MNBC in constructive dialogue. It was our hope that would aid in restoring that body to a place of trust and confidence as the governing power. In June BCMF engaged the BC provincial government in open and honest dialogue on several of these issues.

I encourage you to review the enclosed documents so that you may have a stronger understanding of the critical financial nature of the issues I have mentioned in the above paragraphs. The situation facing the Métis people of this province due to the financial mismanagement of the MNBC is severe andunacceptable. On behalf of the Métis people of BC and the BCMF I look forward to addressing this urgent matter and having an open dialogue with you as soon as possible. As our federal representative and through the Office of the Federal Interlocutor, in order to find a way to work in partnership to ensure that the Métis people of British Columbia are not lost in the chaos caused by the unfortunate actions of those they trusted to ensure that their best interests were served.

BCMF is professionally well prepared and properly positioned to rebuild a proper representative organization for the Métis people of this province. There’s a need to have a provincial representative organization that meets their needs with the appropriate assistance and respect of government.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have or information required. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration in this matter. I look forward to hearing from you to meet and discuss the next steps in the very near future for the Métis people of British Columbia.

I can be reached by 1-788-388-5013 or email @ k.henry@bcmetis.com. For more information about the BCMF please review online @ www.bcmetis.com.

Thank you,

Keith Henry

President

British Columbia Métis Federation

[ilink url=”/wp-content/uploads/BCMF-Letter-to-AANDC-Minister-Duncan-June-30th-2011-FINAL.pdf” style=”download”]Click here to download the letter in PDF format.[/ilink]

[ilink url=”/wp-content/uploads/MNBC-Debt-Recovery-Action-Plan-Year-One.pdf” style=”download”]Click here to download the MNBC Deficit Recovery Action Plan Year One document.[/ilink]

[ilink url=”/wp-content/uploads/How-the-BCMF-Came-to-Be-Overview-June-2011.pdf” style=”download”]Click here to download the How the BCMF Came to Be document.[/ilink]