Speech (committee meeting)

{
    "time": "2020-11-24 12:35:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Marc LeClair (Senior Advisor, M\u00e9tis National Council)",
        "fr": "M. Marc LeClair (conseiller principal, Ralliement national des M\u00e9tis)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"6401739\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Thank you for having me.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401740\" data-originallang=\"en\">President Chartier and president Chartrand were unable to make it, but they asked me to appear.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401741\" data-originallang=\"en\">I've been the lead negotiator for the M\u00e9tis nation for just over 30 years, hence, I've participated in a lot of work that we've done with Elections Canada over the years. I was at one time the main researcher and clerk for the Lortie commission that studied elections and party financing and came up with a plan to increase aboriginal representation in Parliament. That's in Mr. Lortie's recommendations in the report. I have a bit of knowledge about the electoral system. I worked with former Chief Electoral Officer Kingsley and put an end to the incentivized voting bingo blotters. That's how they tried to encourage people to participate in the past.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401742\" data-originallang=\"en\">This year marks the 150th year of the entry of Manitoba into Confederation. The M\u00e9tis people negotiated that, and the banners are all over the House of Commons.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401743\" data-originallang=\"en\">Who are the M\u00e9tis nation? The M\u00e9tis nation is primarily a western Canadian phenomenon. We emerged during the fur trade; we number about 400,000. Our traditional territory includes the Prairies, northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Ontario. Now we have province-wide governing members in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. We are a very democratic nation; we have been practising one person, one ballot for over 50 years. Our provincial leaders are elected by province-wide ballot. We've been a strong advocate of increased M\u00e9tis participation in the electoral process and other indigenous participation.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401744\" data-originallang=\"en\">We understand that we have similar challenges to first nations in that many of our people live in poverty; we have a higher incidence of homelessness and mental health issues, which are not being addressed. Because a big part of our population is in the hinterland, we have all of those challenges of transportation. We have not been that successful in employment with the electoral system; we're not as employed there as our population warrants. We have voter registration challenges, although those have been addressed by Elections Canada recognizing our membership cards, which was a big step forward.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401745\" data-originallang=\"en\">The biggest challenges we have are related to communications, and it's become all the more difficult in this pandemic, because the indigenous newspapers that rely on advertising for their money have been hit hard. The rural papers aren't being published as often, which that creates real challenges for M\u00e9tis to understand what the parties are offering them.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401746\" data-originallang=\"en\">To be succinct, and I think you've heard this before, we're recommending extending the voting period, perhaps over a weekend. That would provide more social distancing, greater access to voting stations\u2014and the key issue is where those voting stations are. This would open up the schools, for example. We need to ensure that returning officers have the flexibility they need to make sure that everybody's safe, particularly in the long-term care facilities where we have our people. We think there's a need for enhanced mail-in ballot options, because some of our older people have taken this pandemic very seriously and are not moving around at all. In fact, we're telling them not to move around, so we really need to expand that voting method.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401747\" data-originallang=\"en\">One of the things I don't believe this new Chief Electoral Officer has done is meet with our governing members, our province-wide members. We'll have locals in each of our provinces of about 80 different communities where there are significant numbers of M\u00e9tis, so our governing members at the provincial level are best placed to advise the returning officers where these election boxes should be placed so that we can maximize our participation.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401748\" data-originallang=\"en\"> The other challenge we have is that we're in areas where there isn't broadband. Overall, though, the biggest challenge is understanding what the parties are proposing to improve the quality of life for M\u00e9tis people. That's critical. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401749\" data-originallang=\"en\">I'll give you one example. I'm not picking on any party or anything like that. The new Leader of the Opposition came out with a platform on indigenous things, which is good, but in the platform, he said, well, we're going to continue this national process with first nations and Inuit. You know, we've had a process with the government, structured by a court, that has resulted in $2 billion spending over 10 years. It's a very good process. Everybody has commended the process. It has worked real well. But either the opposition leader doesn't like the process or he failed to communicate. For us as a people, that's a pretty big issue. Now, with the more limited communications, we really need to find a way to address that in the pandemic election. That's really a challenge for everybody, I think.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401750\" data-originallang=\"en\">I'll end it there.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"6401739\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Je vous remercie de me recevoir.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401740\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le pr\u00e9sident Chartier et le pr\u00e9sident Chartrand n\u2019ont pas pu compara\u00eetre, mais ils m\u2019ont demand\u00e9 de le faire pour eux.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401741\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je suis le n\u00e9gociateur principal de la nation m\u00e9tisse depuis un peu plus de 30 ans, de sorte que j\u2019ai particip\u00e9 au fil des ans \u00e0 beaucoup de travaux en collaboration avec \u00c9lections Canada. J\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9 le chercheur principal et le greffier de la Commission Lortie. Celle-ci portait sur les \u00e9lections et sur le financement des partis, et elle a donn\u00e9 lieu \u00e0 un plan pour accro\u00eetre la repr\u00e9sentation des Autochtones au Parlement, qui se trouve dans les recommandations du rapport de M. Lortie. J\u2019ai une certaine connaissance du syst\u00e8me \u00e9lectoral. J\u2019ai travaill\u00e9 avec M. Kingsley, l\u2019ancien directeur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral des \u00e9lections, et j\u2019ai mis fin aux marqueurs de bingo pour inciter les gens \u00e0 voter. C\u2019est ainsi que les responsables essayaient autrefois d\u2019encourager la population \u00e0 participer aux \u00e9lections.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401742\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Cette ann\u00e9e marque le 150<sup>e</sup> anniversaire de l'entr\u00e9e du Manitoba dans la Conf\u00e9d\u00e9ration. C'est le peuple m\u00e9tis qui a n\u00e9goci\u00e9 cette entente, comme en t\u00e9moignent des banni\u00e8res un peu partout \u00e0 la Chambre des communes.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401743\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Qui est la nation m\u00e9tisse? Elle est principalement originaire de l\u2019Ouest canadien. Nous sommes apparus \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9poque de la traite des fourrures, et nous sommes environ 400 000. Notre territoire traditionnel comprend les Prairies, le nord-est de la Colombie-Britannique et le nord-ouest de l\u2019Ontario. Nous avons d\u00e9sormais des organisations membres \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9chelle provinciale en Colombie-Britannique, en Saskatchewan, en Alberta et au Manitoba. Notre nation est hautement d\u00e9mocratique et respecte le principe d\u2019un vote par personne depuis plus de 50 ans. Nos dirigeants provinciaux sont \u00e9lus par la tenue d\u2019un vote \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9chelle provinciale. Nous croyons ardemment qu\u2019il faut accro\u00eetre la participation des M\u00e9tis au processus \u00e9lectoral, et celle d\u2019autres groupes autochtones aussi.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401744\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Nous sommes conscients que nos probl\u00e8mes sont similaires \u00e0 ceux des Premi\u00e8res Nations. En effet, une grande partie de notre peuple vit dans la pauvret\u00e9, est en situation d\u2019incidence et souffre de probl\u00e8mes de sant\u00e9 mentale, mais rien n\u2019est fait. Puisqu\u2019un grand nombre de M\u00e9tis se trouvent dans l\u2019arri\u00e8re-pays, nous devons composer avec tous les probl\u00e8mes attribuables au transport. Nous n\u2019avons pas r\u00e9ussi dans une grande mesure \u00e0 avoir acc\u00e8s aux emplois du syst\u00e8me \u00e9lectoral; nous ne sommes pas embauch\u00e9s autant que nous le devrions proportionnellement \u00e0 notre population. Nos \u00e9lecteurs ont des probl\u00e8mes d\u2019inscription, quoique ceux-ci ont \u00e9t\u00e9 r\u00e9solus depuis qu\u2019\u00c9lections Canada reconna\u00eet nos cartes de membre, ce qui constitue un progr\u00e8s \u00e9norme.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401745\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nos plus grands d\u00e9fis se rapportent aux communications, qui sont encore plus difficiles pendant la pand\u00e9mie, \u00e9tant donn\u00e9 que les journaux autochtones qui tirent leurs revenus de la publicit\u00e9 ont \u00e9t\u00e9 durement touch\u00e9s. Les journaux ruraux ne sont pas publi\u00e9s aussi souvent, ce qui cr\u00e9e de r\u00e9els d\u00e9fis pour les M\u00e9tis qui tentent de comprendre les propositions des partis.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401746\" data-originallang=\"en\">Comme vous l\u2019avez probablement d\u00e9j\u00e0 entendu, nous recommandons de prolonger la p\u00e9riode de vote, peut-\u00eatre m\u00eame la fin de semaine. Voil\u00e0 qui permettrait de respecter la distanciation physique et d\u2019am\u00e9liorer l\u2019acc\u00e8s aux bureaux de vote \u2014 le plus important, c\u2019est l\u2019emplacement de ces bureaux de vote. Il faudrait par exemple ouvrir les \u00e9coles. Nous devons offrir aux directeurs du scrutin la souplesse n\u00e9cessaire pour assurer la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 de tous, en particulier dans les \u00e9tablissements de soins de longue dur\u00e9e o\u00f9 se trouve notre peuple. Nous pensons qu\u2019il faut accro\u00eetre l\u2019acc\u00e8s au vote postal, car certains de nos a\u00een\u00e9s ont pris la pand\u00e9mie tr\u00e8s au s\u00e9rieux et ne sortent pas du tout. \u00c0 vrai dire, nous leur disons de ne pas sortir. Il faut donc vraiment \u00e9largir la port\u00e9e de cette m\u00e9thode de vote.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401747\" data-originallang=\"en\">Par ailleurs, je doute fort que le nouveau directeur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral des \u00e9lections ait rencontr\u00e9 nos organisations membres \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9chelle provinciale. Dans chacune de nos provinces, il y a des associations locales de M\u00e9tis au sein d\u2019environ 80 collectivit\u00e9s o\u00f9 la population m\u00e9tisse est importante. Nos organisations membres \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9chelle provinciale sont les mieux plac\u00e9es pour conseiller les directeurs du scrutin sur l\u2019emplacement des urnes de fa\u00e7on \u00e0 maximiser notre participation.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401748\" data-originallang=\"en\">L\u2019autre difficult\u00e9, c\u2019est que nous nous trouvons dans des r\u00e9gions sans services \u00e0 large bande. Cependant, le plus grand d\u00e9fi consiste \u00e0 faire comprendre aux M\u00e9tis ce que les partis proposent de faire pour am\u00e9liorer leur qualit\u00e9 de vie. C\u2019est essentiel.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401749\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je vais vous donner un exemple. Mon objectif n\u2019est toutefois pas de m\u2019attaquer \u00e0 un parti donn\u00e9. Le nouveau chef de l\u2019opposition a propos\u00e9 un programme sur des affaires autochtones, ce qui est une bonne chose. Dans le programme, il dit vouloir poursuivre le processus national avec les Premi\u00e8res Nations et les Inuits. Vous savez, nous avons eu un processus judiciaire avec le gouvernement qui a co\u00fbt\u00e9 2 milliards de dollars sur 10 ans. Le processus est tr\u00e8s bien, et tout le monde en a fait l\u2019\u00e9loge. Il a tr\u00e8s bien fonctionn\u00e9. Or, soit le chef de l\u2019opposition n\u2019aime pas le processus, soit il s\u2019est mal exprim\u00e9. Pour notre peuple, c\u2019est une tr\u00e8s grosse affaire. Maintenant, compte tenu des communications limit\u00e9es, nous devons vraiment trouver un moyen de r\u00e9gler le probl\u00e8me advenant la tenue d\u2019une \u00e9lection en pleine pand\u00e9mie. C\u2019est un v\u00e9ritable d\u00e9fi pour tout le monde, je pense.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6401750\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je vais m\u2019arr\u00eater ici.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/committees/house-affairs/43-2/12/marc-leclair-1/",
    "politician_url": null,
    "politician_membership_url": null,
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "11030902",
    "document_url": "/committees/house-affairs/43-2/12/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fcommittees%2Fhouse-affairs%2F43-2%2F12%2F"
    }
}