6 METIS NA TION Of ONT ARIO Annu A l Repo R t 20122013 M no elections This year was the frst in the term of the new PCMNO that was elected in May 2012 I am ver y happy to r eport that this election had the lar gest tur nout ever for a MNO election The high participation of MNO citizens in this election demonstrates the MNO s str ength and that our citizens ar e engaged in the Nation I feel ver y for tunate to ser ve with these dynamic leaders as well as the dedicated citizens who came for war d at the 2012 AGA to ser ve as PCMNO Senators and in the W omen s Secr etariat of the MNO the MNO V eterans Council and the MNO Y outh Council T ogether we ar e working har d to str engthen the MNO s gover nance structur e and ensur e that it meets the needs of all our citizens t enth Anniversary of p owley Decision In addition to the MNO s 20th anniversar y 2013 also marks the 10th anniversar y of the Powley decision On September 19 2003 after ten years of litigation the Supr eme Court of Canada in an unanimous judgement declar ed that Steve and Roddy Powley as members of the Sault Ste Marie Metis community had the Metis right to har vest and that this right is pr otected under section 35 of the Constitution Act 1982 The MNO will commemorate this anniversar y during the annual Louis Riel Day cer emonies at Queen s Park on November 15 this year Events will include a legal panel that will discuss the signifcance of the Powley case past pr esent and futur e followed by a feast that will r ecognize the people who played important r oles in this gr eat victor y for Metis rights M no o ntario Framework Agr eement When r eviewing this past year it is worth r emembering that together in 2008 we set an agenda that built on our past achievements and has been the basis for the MNO s work since then A key foundational element of that agenda was the MNOOntario Framework Agr eement which we signed November 17 2008 It outlined mutually agr eeable objectives for str engthening the MNO r ecognizing and pr omoting Metis histor y and cultur e enhancing the wellbeing of Metis individuals families and communities and facilitating the r ecognition of Metis rights in Ontario It has pr oved the lynchpin for our r elationship with the Ontario gover nment and has led to a number of Memorandums of Understanding MOU with other Ontario gover nment ministries agencies and postsecondar y institutions It has also facilitated economic development initiatives that wer e part of the MNO s frst strategic plan and economic development strategy n ew Relationship Fund Along with the Framework Agr eement the New Relationship Fund NRF has been a pillar in the assertion of Metis rights in the pr ovince The NRF has pr ovided funding for MNO staf f that work with r egions and com munities to ensur e that Ontario Metis ar e at the table and able to participate in a meaningful way whenever the Duty to Consult is trigger ed The work of this staf f has included facilitating Charter ed Community Council and Regional Consultation Pr otocols which have now been signed in all nine r egions NRF funding also supports a I am pleased to r eport that in the last year the MNO has moved forwar d on the objectives of The Statement of Prime Purpose and will see even mor e success in the years to come