Manitoba Metis Federation

Tuesday, October 19 2004

On October 19, 2004, in a unanimous decision, the Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled against Mr. Yvon Dumont and overturned an earlier Court of Queen’s Bench decision that had ordered that a new MMF election take place due to certain actions taken by the CEO. Mr. Dumont’s attempt to force a new election, against the will of the Metis people, has failed.

During April of 2003, having lost the MMF election to the successful candidate President David Chartrand, Mr. Dumont filed a court application against the MMF, President Chartrand, and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Honourable A.C. Hamilton.

“Mr. Dumont sought to silence the democratic voice of the Metis people,” said President Chartrand. “The Metis people made their choice on election day, and today, the court showed it respects the will of the people.”

“We have always said that we had a fair and democratic election,” explained President Chartrand. “The Court of Appeal agreed with our position and shows we have been right all along.”

“The Court said that the election was fairly administered and reached a fair result,” said Chartrand. “The Court’s decision was that the election was just and democratic. This was a victory for the Metis people and for our people’s future.”

In their decision, the Justices found that the decisions made by the CEO were made in good faith, and that he was impartial.

The Court also made it clear that Mr. Dumont was fully aware of the MMF Constitution and Election Bylaw and the departures from the Bylaw, which were authorized by the CEO. Mr. Dumont stood by and waited for the election results, and did not object to the CEO’s decisions until after his electoral loss.

The Court of Appeal also awarded costs to both the MMF and President Chartrand for both this decision and the hearing in the Court of Queen’s Bench.

For more information, contact
Janet Charron at 204-791-0952 or Glorian Yakiwchuk 204-794-5081