Métis Are Enraged With The Harper Conservatives.

“We will never let anyone outside our home decide who we are. That’s the heart of the Métis nation. You want to have a war with the Métis nation, then go after that,”David Chartrand,

The Harper government has decided to "revisit" a contract that it awarded to the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to develop a standardized assessment of the quality and integrity of Métis membership systems. Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand is surprised that the government would choose the CSA, an organization best known for consumer safety approvals, he is also perplexed as to why the Conservatives chose not to consult Métis groups about this process. To me this is just further evidence of the paternalistic attitude that all Canadian governments have towards First Nations peoples in general After all why would any parent need to consult with their children.

“What really threatens us is if you look at the [contract], it says verification and standardization. Verification to what, to whom? If you start doing that, aren’t you starting to dabble in definition?” Mr. Chartrand said. “Who wants to walk around with a CSA-approved stamp? Pretty soon I’ll have a little clip in my ear with an expiry date too”

How would you feel, if the government arbitrarily chose to decide who you are at your core? Would it be okay for them for instance to decide if you are Caucasian , Black ,Asian, Straight or Gay or part thereof?

Self determination by it's very definition confers the right to chose how we as a people, group or individuals define ourselves. That right cannot be subjugated by any government and most certainly not by accountants and their actuary tables.