Thank you for the question.
I apologize. I don't speak French. I speak Saulteaux as my first language, actually.
Let me say this. The treaty means everything to us. It's more symbolic than anything else. A treaty was promised to Riel and our people in 1870. As the Métis government of the Prairies, we brought Manitoba into Confederation, and actually, most of western Canada followed.
The sad part is that, when the treaty was promised to be given to us by our first prime minister, instead of negotiators coming to the table, they sent the military. Our guns were already put down. We have always been a military people. We defended Canada on many aspects.
For some reason, after that, this country threw out the educational systems, and everything referred to us as being villains, bad people, and as people who would not be recognized. You might remember the famous quote of John A. Macdonald: “He shall hang though every dog in Québec bark in his favour.”
The symbolism.... Our government, for whatever reason, began not to want to recognize us. To this day, as you heard me say, even in health and education today and in all these segments we have, governments are still fighting about who is responsible. I ask, would government take our taxes? It would without hesitation. The sad part is that it seems to linger yet. How do we change the minds of others?
I'll close with these comments.
I've been the president for 28 years now, and I have a background in the Manitoba Department of Justice.
When I look towards the future, I wonder if there will be a day when I walk into an assembly to speak at a university in this country and won't have to explain who I am, tell people who I am and tell them my history. Will there ever be a day when they recognize that I am too in the Constitution under section 35? Will there every be that day?
I hope I'm still alive when our leader will be speaking and they'll know who the Red River Métis are instantly, as you know who the first nations are, as you know who the Inuit are. Why do you not know about me?
That's been our challenge, sir. Governments have denied that we exist with the special rights and privileges that we have earned, that we have paid for with our lives. Section 35 is supposed to mean something to us. However, today, it has not really meant anything to us, not to a point that it should, as it has for all other indigenous people in this country.