The Clara Morin Dal Col Team Grows With Three Additional Candidates
(July 10, 2024) Three more candidates have joined the Clara Morin Dal Col Team in advance of the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) general election scheduled for September 7, 2024.
Service at the grassroots for their Métis communities are their hallmarks, and commitments to improvements for Métis children and families, faster turnaround for Citizenship renewals, and better services for all Métis people are the key themes of these three candidates.
Allan Lavallee of Langley will be seeking the position of Region 2 Director in the Lower Mainland, Wendy Chernivchan of Kamloops will be running in Region 3 for Director of the Thompson-Okanagan, and Laurence Goulet of Fort St. John is running for Region 7 Director in the North East.
Clara Morin Dal Col said, “I am pleased that Allan, Wendy and Laurence have joined our team. Their experience and service at the grassroots community level continues to build on a key characteristic of our entire team. They have worked hard on behalf of their respective Métis communities and now are ready to go to work on behalf of all Métis in their regions.”
Ms. Morin Dal Col, who is running for President, said, “Like me they are committed to putting the needs of our citizens first, including the needs of our children and families and seniors, and bringing back fiscal responsibility and accountability”.
Allan Lavallee, who is a co-founder and former President of the Waceya Métis Community said, “A regional director needs to listen to and represent the interests of all Métis people in the region, and that’s what I intend to do. I’m a regular guy with a big heart for the people, and I’m willing to put in the work to get what needs to be done…done”. He added, “With the support of the MNBC Citizens, I will be part of a team driving transformative change in leadership at MNBC.”
Wendy Chernivchan is a former President and Vice-President of the Two Rivers Métis Community in Kamloops. She said, “Critical change is imperative at MNBC, and as a member of Clara’s team I will be strongly advocating for services for Métis children, youth and families involved in the child welfare system, improvement in the citizenship application and renewal process, and improved access to cultural programming and services for our Métis people”. Wendy added, “I look forward to utilizing my years of experience and work in Region 3 on behalf of Métis people and applying it at the provincial Board level”.
Laurence Goulet is seeking to become the regional director in Region 7 to ensure Métis people in the northeast are better represented. Laurence said, “We are losing touch with our people. When meetings are held, few people are showing up. As the regional director, I will reach out to our Citizens in each of our communities to listen to their concerns”. Laurence, who has years of experience with his Fort St. John community added, “The millions of dollars that MNBC gets annually from the federal government, are supposed to be helping all Métis people, not just a handful”. Laurence joined the team when Vince van Wieringen stepped back from the candidacy for family and business reasons.
The three newest candidates join Clara in her pursuit of the MNBC Presidency in the next MNBC Election along with Melanie Allard of Kamloops running for Provincial Vice-President, Linda van Wieringen of Charlie Lake running for Provincial Chair – Métis Women of BC, Aladina Caron of the West Kootenay running for Provincial Métis Youth Chair, Don Courson of Nelson running for Director of Region 4, and Greg Sterling of Quesnel running for Director of Region 5.
Ms. Morin Dal Col said, “I am so pleased that we have such a strong team of Métis citizens who will provide strong representation on the new Board for their respective regions and provincial bases. All of our candidates have proudly served their communities and I look forward to them bringing that experience and knowledge to work at the provincial level.
She added, “Whether it is buying land and/or buildings for tens of millions of dollars, hiring several hundred new staff, or paying out millions of dollars for consultants, fiscal responsibility and accountability have been seriously lacking with this current Board, and many MNBC Citizens have told us that they want that back. I can assure you that we will deliver”.
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For information about members of the Clara Morin Dal Col Team click on the link below:
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