Other Premiers across Canada recognized the needs Our youth showed exceptional leadership through and were willing to dig into their piggy banks to find the first wave. But we expected nothing less. We the required funds to adequately respond to this are proud of their leadership and commitment. By crisis. Pallister, however, chose to try to take credit staying home, they not only kept themselves healthy, for the programs put in place because of Prime but they also kept the virus out of their households Minister Trudeau. and community. Your Métis Government warned Pallister of this since I am also proud of the initiative of our Minister of March. Provincial Education, Joan Ledoux. Recently, they announced that they will be offering additional From the programs we are developing to the financial support to Métis students through the supports we are providing, the province could have second wave. learned from the leadership and dedication of your Métis Government. Though we already offer our post-secondary education students $5,000 a year to help limit their To address the red and orange code announcements, debt-load, we recognize that schooling is much we announced this Monday that $5.5 million more expensive than that. Many take on part-time dollars in funding is now available for businesses jobs to pay for supplies, rent, and other necessities. and removed the red tape to receive it. All that we COVID has limited their ability to find jobs, and some The second wave of COVID is surging through require is evidence they are an established business jobs that are now available may put them at risk of Manitoba. Recently, the province announced that and that they have a plan in place to keep their doors contracting COVID. they are moving the Winnipeg area to “code red” and open after these new restrictions pass by. the rest of rural Manitoba into “code orange”. We We hope that this additional support will help them believe that this could have been avoided. We recognize that businesses are the backbone of stay safe in isolation and reduce stress during code our province, but we also recognize that there are red. The Government of Manitoba was in a great position people behind those businesses who need support. to be leaders in Canada and mitigate the effects of The MMF offers a wide variety of support that will this virus on Manitobans. Instead, Premier Pallister We have shown a willingness to work together with help many Citizens. Please visit our website, decided to focus on the deficit and numbers rather our Regions, Locals, Citizens, Affiliates, and other mmf.mb.ca, to see the full listing of our offered than the needs and well-being of Manitobans. partners to help respond to this never-before-seen supports. If you need support accessing this listing, Though your Métis Government is upset by this threat. please do not hesitate to contact our home office short-minded approach, we are not surprised. at 204-586-8474. If you have suggestions for a Similar to how he neglected the advice of the Métis, new program, or perhaps you know of a gap in our Doctors warned since the initial outbreak that a he is now neglecting all Manitobans. And even response strategy, please reach out to your Regional second wave was coming in the fall and that it would though Manitobans are not receiving support from Office and make a recommendation. be worse than the first. their elected provincial government, they are now being asked to volunteer in the response efforts and Although COVID may slow us down, we are The Manitoba Government could have hired sacrifice their personal health as well as the health of continuing forward and undertaking many large additional nurses, contact tracers, and other their loved ones and community. For Pallister, saving economic development ventures that require necessary supports throughout the summer to money by putting the health and safety of volunteers substantial purchases of a wide variety of goods and prepare for this second wave. We enjoyed relatively in danger is an easier decision than investing in hiring services. low cases all summer while other provinces healthcare professionals during the summer. continued to be decimated by this virus. Manitoba Currently, we are still building homes, childcare should have used this time to prepare for the As a proud Manitoban, I am embarrassed of the centres, local government offices, and many expected second wave. response efforts of our provincial government. They other projects in all corners of Manitoba. If you gladly come to reach into your pockets and take your or someone you know are a Métis contractor, While Pallister was preoccupied with counting dollars hard-earned money when it is time to pay taxes, but please contact MMF Housing to sign up. In fact, all and cents – putting the budget ahead of his citizens when Manitobans are in need, they are not willing businesses should register with our Métis Business – we now find ourselves in the midst of an economic to circle back and offer a hand in support of your directory so that your Métis Government can expand crisis. The Manitoba Government sleepwalked into money. the number of Métis businesses we can utilize as a a massive crisis that it is not prepared to handle. Government when undertaking projects. As of writing this, there have been 87 reported In the first wave, your Métis Government did COVID-related deaths in Manitoba. Beyond lives, exceptionally well at reaching out and helping our If you or someone you know has a business that Manitobans are losing their homes, investments, Métis Citizens exit COVID stronger than we entered. has been negatively impacted economically by the jobs, and businesses. Much of our efforts were focused on keeping pandemic, please call 1-800-387-6004 or visit vulnerable Citizens at home by delivering nearly medf.ca to see if you are eligible for this new Perhaps if the focus would have been on prevention 6,000 hampers to our Elders, shut-ins, and chronically support. and the health of Manitobans and they had balanced ill Citizens. their response, the economy might not have slid out We are encouraging everyone to follow pandemic of control. protocols. This means limiting your trips to places such as the grocery store, washing your hands My prayers go out to all that are being affected by Together, we made it through the first wave, and rest often, wearing a mask when leaving the house, and this second wave of COVID in Manitoba. Your Métis assured if we all make this sacrifice and stay home, adhering to social distancing protocols. Government recently restarted the hamper program we will emerge from the second wave stronger than for our Elders and vulnerable Citizens to ensure that ever. Your Métis Government will not let you down. I want to commend Prime Minister Trudeau for his they do not have to leave their homes to receive We will always have your back. swift and action-based response. Many leaders may their essential goods. Please, help your loved ones talk the talk, but Prime Minister Trudeau follows who are vulnerable to this virus by offering to go Meeqwetch, through on commitments, such as his commitment shopping for them or helping them get groceries to support the Métis Nation politically and delivered to their doorstep. economically. President David Chartrand, LL.D. (hon), O.M. MMF stands with IRTC and AFN in flood management The Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) joined “In 2013, the province began the conceptual design ranchers, landowners, and communities. Proper the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council (IRTC) and leading to the project. And at that time, the province consultations are the right way to avoid problems the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Manitoba told the MMF that there were no funds to undertake and delays, and we must do the right decisions for Region at a press conference on October 22, calling community consultation, again, even though every generation,” said President Chartrand. on the Government of Manitoba to work with consultation has been a part of the legal structure of Indigenous governments as equals in planning flood Canada for much longer than that,” Minister Goodon “The Premier and the Minister like to characterize management, including the Outlet Channels Project. said. the Indigenous communities and Nations who have concerns as being obstinate, as being in the The province received an injunction in August “But in July 2016, the province wrote to the MMF, way of something that needs to happen, when from the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench to stop and they said that they had a duty to consult with that’s absolutely not the case. Our communities, building a construction access road for the Lake the Manitoba Métis community on the project. our families, are just as concerned as every other Manitoba and Lake St. Martin Outlet Channels In December 2017, the province agreed to fund a Manitoban that there needs to be a safe, reliable Project after refusing to consult with First Nations. technical review.” way to divert water in an emergency,” said Minister The province then fought the IRTC in the Court of Goodon. “Consultation has to be meaningful.” Appeal. The MMF and the AFN have filed applications Minister Goodon added, “So when President to intervene in the Government of Manitoba’s Chartrand criticized the province for those delays The Métis are also concerned with the lack of appeal, which will be heard in court on November 12. in the consultation process, they held up the economic opportunities on this project. “We should technical review, and said the technical review was a have been consulted as to what services we could Speakers at the socially distanced roundtable consultation.