(January 7, 2025) Yesterday Prime Minister Trudeau announced his intention to step down and that Parliament will be prorogued until March 24th giving time for a new leader (and new Prime Minister) to be selected.
Once Parliament does come back in, there will be a Throne Speech and given that the Liberals will still be in a minority situation, they will need at least the NDP or the Bloc to vote with them to approve the Throne Speech. That is not likely to happen, which will then result in the government being defeated and we will go into a federal election which would likely be held sometime in May. A federal election can be anywhere from 37 days to 51 days long. Unless the federal liberals find a new leader who can quickly catch on with Canadians, then Pierre Poilievre will become the next Prime Minister.
BC Métis Leader and former MNBC President Clara Morin Dal Col says, “With this important announcement yesterday, it is appropriate to pay tribute to the Prime Minister for his government’s formal recognition of our Métis Nation and our people being a distinct Indigenous people in this country. That occurred on April 13, 2017 with the signing of the Canada-Métis Nation Accord which I was honoured to sign on behalf of Métis people in British Columbia. No federal government in the previous 150 years had ever given us that recognition.”
“That Accord led to six Sub-Accords being signed during my time as President which have provided tens of millions of dollars to MNBC over the past few years”, says Ms. Morin Dal Col.
As a result of yesterday’s announcement, here are some key items of note:
Self-Government for MNBC – Not going to happen
Funding for MNBC – If a Conservative government is elected in May (which is fairly likely) funding from the federal government will be significantly reduced. MNBC currently receives at least $65 million annually through various federal programs as a result of the sub-accords signed by Clara Morin Dal Col when she was President. That funding can be cut by any future federal government because the funding under each of the sub-accords must be approved each year in Parliament. As Pierre Poilievre and a new federal government try and wrestle a $40 billion deficit to the ground to stop the government’s debt from growing (it is at $1.2 trillion and growing) MNBC with their 400+ employees is in for a big shock. MNBC’s funding will be cut and layoffs will take place.
The Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty which was signed at the end of November requires federal legislation to become law. The legislation has not yet been introduced in the House of Commons, and won’t be under the current federal government given the proroguing of Parliament.
Self-Government Treaty Legislation for Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation Saskatchewan and Métis Nation – Ontario is dead. Bill C-53 which was tabled in the House of Commons in June 2023 was originally designed to confirm in law the Treaties, but it encountered rough waters (including Saskatchewan withdrawing from the arrangement) and the federal government indicated in November 2024 that it was not going forward with the legislation. As of today, it is very uncertain whether a new Conservative Government will want to move forward with legislation confirming the Treaties.
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