Métis National Council begins high-stakes trial against former leaders
CBC
The Métis National Council is getting its day in court.
After three years of litigation, the embattled and weakened MNC on Monday kicked off a high-stakes civil trial against former leaders and consultants, with 68 days of hearings scheduled and more than 1,200 exhibits already submitted in Toronto's Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Senior Métis leaders are expected to testify at length over the next nine weeks, providing a rare look inside operations at two formerly allied entities while putting several years of internal turbulence under a microscope.
MNC alleges a former administration conspired in a scorched earth campaign to seriously harm it and empower the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), according to a statement of claim filed in 2022.
The federation denies the allegations, calling the case a baseless and defamatory vendetta. MMF broke from the national council in 2021, citing a long-running Indigenous identity dispute with the Métis Nation of Ontario.
Before the split, the council claims, MNC then-president Clément Chartier, MMF President David Chartrand and MNC then-executive director Wenda Watteyne improperly funnelled key assets from the national organization to the MMF.
Their aim was to empower and enrich themselves, alleged Robert Cohen, of Toronto-based law firm Cassels, during the plaintiff's opening statement Monday.
"The evidence will show that each of Mr. Chartrand, Mr. Chartier and Mrs. Watteyne knowingly exceeded their limited authority and breached their fiduciary duties to MNC," Cohen told court.
"In so doing, your honour will hear that they not only unjustly enriched themselves and the defendant Manitoba Métis Federation, but they also intentionally exceeded their limited authority and breached their duties of loyalty, so as to unjustly enrich each of the consultants."
After listening to the proceeding, Chartrand, who was also MNC finance minister before the split and will testify later this month, bristled at such talk.
"They're all allegations and they're false allegations and we will prove it," he said in an interview Monday.
Cohen went on to accuse Chartrand and Chartier of being in conflicts of interest while engaging in secretive self-dealing in breach of MNC's bylaws.
They were "orchestrating secret meetings and secret agendas" for years "to create a shadow government" at MNC "to undertake unauthorized, in many cases self-serving, transactions without the knowledge or approval of MNC's board of governors," said Cohen.
Chartrand countered that he acted in good faith at all times, sought legal advice where needed and left MNC in a strong financial position, having secured $3.2 billion in funding for the nation.
Today, six climate agencies from around the world all confirmed what we knew was coming: Earth once again experienced its hottest year on record.
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