METIS NA TION Of ONT ARIO Annu A l Repo R t 20122013 5 Gree TI n G from TH e p res I den T I t is my privilege to welcome you to the 20th Annual General Assembly AGA of the Metis Nation of On tario MNO and to pr ovide gr eetings for the MNO 201213 Annual Report Whenever MNO citizens gather at an AGA we r etur n to our founding document The Statement of Prime Purpose which has ser ved the MNO well for two decades and is a testament to the vision of our founders In it we declar e that we aspir e to attain our highest potential Building towar ds that ideal we work together for Metis rights impr oved social conditions for our people and pr omoting Metis cultur e and heri tage I am pleased to r eport that in the last year the MNO has moved for war d on the objectives of The Statement of Prime Purpose and will see even mor e success in the years to come It is particularly poignant that we r etur n to The Statement of Prime Purpose this year because 2013 marks the 20 th anniversar y of the Metis Nation of Ontario This AGA af for ds us the opportunity to look back on two decades of achievement and r emember the har d work vision and leadership of our founders who against what often must have seemed like insurmountable odds pr evailed and in fact as we know today triumphed As it has ever y year the AGA brings Metis leaders and citizens fr om acr oss Ontario together with friends family and colleagues to showcase our rich cultur e pass on our traditions to younger generations and celebrate our stories This year s AGA in Ottawa brings the MNO to a city and ar ea that has been historically signifcant to the Metis gener ally and the histor y of the MNO specifcally During the fur trade era the Ottawa River was a key trade r oute for Metis voyageurs who constantly navigated its curr ents In mor e r ecent times Ottawa was the site of constitutional confer enc es that ultimately led to the inclusion of Metis in the Canadian constitution in 1982 Ottawa is home of the Supr eme Court that affrmed Metis har vesting rights in the landmark Powley case in 2003 The Aboriginal V eterans Monument can also be found in Ottawa This monument assur es that the sacrifces of our Metis veterans will never be for gotten The AGA however is just as much about making histor y as it is about r emembering histor y The AGA is wher e the business of the MNO is conducted and like all our contemporar y Metis gover nance structur es is unique Our an nual assemblies ar e Metis selfgover nment in action wher e we affrm our nationhood our status as one people and our traditions Thr ough r esolutions and discussion the Pr ovisional Council of the Metis Nation of Ontario PCMNO takes dir ection fr om the AGA and works closely with its 29 Charter ed Community Councils and their democratically elected leadership At the AGA you the citizens can r eview the work of your leadership over the last year and consider the MNO s dir ection for the futur e That is because for all the lists of achievements in this Annual Report and all the accomplishments for the last 20 years ever ything has ultimately been done to build a str onger futur e GA r Y l I p I nsK I Me t IS n A t I on o f ont A r I o P r ESI d E nt Pr ESI d E nt S MESSAGE