NEWS RELEASE
THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON ABORIGINAL PEOPLES
Senators conduct fact-finding activities in Saskatchewan as part of Métis study
OTTAWA (July 18, 2012) – As part of its ongoing study on Métis identity in Canada, the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples will be in Saskatchewan July 19-22, 2012, to conduct fact-finding activities. In addition to meeting with community elders and leaders of Métis organizations, senators will attend events at the Back to Batoche Days Métis cultural festival.
“As Chair of the Senate Aboriginal Peoples Committee and as a Canadian of Métis heritage, I am honoured to share Métis culture, traditions, and heritage with my Senate colleagues during our visit to Saskatchewan,” said Senator Gerry St. Germain. “The Back to Batoche Days festival is an important annual event which brings Métis together from across the country to celebrate the vibrancy of our culture and traditions. Such an experience enables senators to see first-hand the diversity of Métis identity in Canada.”
“As a senator from Saskatchewan, it is a privilege to share my province with my Senate colleagues,” said Senator Lillian Dyck, deputy chair of the committee. “For several months, our committee has studied various aspects of Métis identity through testimony provided by witnesses in Ottawa. Visiting with elders, leaders of Métis organizations and experiencing Métis culture in the heartland of the Métis Nation – Saskatchewan – brings a more profound understanding to our study.”
In the spring of 2012, the committee began its study on issues respecting the legal and political recognition of Métis identity in Canada, including legal, political and cultural definitions of the Métis and processes for enumeration and registration of the Métis. Other areas, which relate more broadly to the question of identity and which will be touched upon during the study include the eligibility of the Métis for existing federal programs and services and the exercise of Métis Aboriginal rights, including those that may be related to lands and harvesting.
To learn more about the work of the committee and read transcripts from previous meetings, please visit: http://senate-senat.ca/appa-e.asp
Follow the Senate of Canada on Twitter @SenateCA and use the committee hashtag #APPA for updates.
For more information:
Ceri Au
Communications Officer
613-944-9145
auc@sen.parl.gc.ca
Marcy Zlotnick
Committee Clerk
613-990-6080 or 1-800-267-7362
zlotnm@sen.parl.gc.ca
