MNO President Lipinski Anticipates Positive Decision for Metis in Daniels v Canada

OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - April 11, 2016) - On October 8, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada heard final arguments on Daniels v Canada. On Friday, April 8, the Supreme Court announced that it will be delivering its final judgement on the case at 9:45 am EDT on Thursday, April 14, 2016.

The Daniels case was initiated by well-known Métis leader Harry Daniels in 1999. The case will answer the longstanding question of whether the Métis and non-status Indians are included within the meaning of s. 91(24) of The Constitution Act, 1867, which grants "exclusive Legislative Authority" for "Indians, and Lands reserved for the Indians" to the federal Parliament.

Currently Métis are excluded from federal comprehensive and specific claims processes available to First Nations and the Inuit and denied access to desperately needed programs available to other Indigenous peoples.

"While a positive outcome in the Daniels case won't change this reality overnight," stated Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) President Gary Lipinski, "it will remove one of the last vestiges used by Canada historically to justify its inaction when it comes to dealing with Métis."

"We anticipate the Supreme Court will uphold the positive decisions made by the lower courts," added President Lipinski, "and this will begin a constructive dialogue between the Métis Nation and the government of Canada."