Ambassador Chartier attends Canadian Studies and languages Conference in Cuba

May 8, 2023

Ambassador Clément Chartier attended a three-day conference in Holguin, Cuba organized by the Professor Vilma Paez Pérez of Holguin University. The conference took place on April 26-28^th at the Club Amigo Resort.

The opening of the conference had several dignitaries making speeches, one of whom was Ambassador John G. Gartshore, Canada's Ambassador to Cuba. The Canadian government has been sponsoring a Canadian Studies project at the University of Holguin and Ambassador Gartshore participation at this year's conference was very much appreciated.

As part of the opening session, Ambassador Chartier provided a keynote address wherein he spoke of the political/governmental changes taking place in the Métis Nation, in particular the advancement of the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) in achieving from the Canadian government the acknowledgement of its inherent right of self-government by way of a Self-Government recognition and implementation agreement entered into in July 2021. This also included the acknowledgement by Canada that the MMF represents all Red River Métis wherever they may live, inside or outside of Canada.

Ambassador Chartier also informed the audience that the MMF in 2021 declared the National Government of the Red River Métis and that the MMF does not recognize any provincial, territorial or international borders which have divided our people for so many years.

As part of his keynote address, Ambassador Chartier spoke to the international work that the MMF has been doing over the past number of years, in particular it's trade and social/cultural initiatives in Colombia with several Indian communities. This included MMF's aid to their Colombian counterparts during the COVID Pandemic in the form of both financial and PPE donations.

In connection to the American Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP) of which he is the President, Ambassador Chartier expressed his gratitude to the MMF for assisting financially in its formation in 2018 in Lima, Peru, as well as financial donations at various other times to enable ACIP participants to hold meetings, which otherwise would not have been possible.

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