WINNIPEG - The Crown has stayed proceedings against Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand, who was given a ticket alleging he was fishing without a licence. Chartrand was given the ticket on a lake near the northern community of Cranberry Portage on June 30, and was accused of angling outside of the areas where the Manitoba government recognizes Métis harvesting rights. Chartrand said from the beginning he did nothing wrong and that the conservation officer was not properly informed.
The Manitoba government recognizes Métis natural resource harvesting rights, which includes the right to fish without a licence, in most of southern, central and western Manitoba, along with a small area in the northwest. The Manitoba Métis Federation is pushing to have those areas expanded, and the government is considering the issue. Dana Rudy, deputy minister of Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources, says a decision was made in late June to back off enforcement against Métis harvesters in the areas being considered.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press show the matter was discussed in the days after Chartrand was ticketed. The documents, obtained under the freedom of information law, are heavily redacted and portions that have been released do not mention Chartrand by name — only that Métis individuals were seen fishing without a licence on June 30 on the Cranberry Lakes, outside of the Métis harvesting areas set by the province in 2012.