国产诱惑福利

Merritt concluded they acted "honestly and with a view to the best interests of the MNC and the M茅tis Nation."

"It鈥檚 clear that the plaintiffs were not straight with the court, and the court saw through it. The MMF remains focused on self-government implementation, the delivery of programs and services to our citizens, and defence of our identity as the Red River M茅tis,鈥� Chartrand said in a media statement.

鈥淲e will not allow the integrity of our government 鈥� or the legacy of our veterans and our history 鈥� to be sacrificed to political agendas or personally motivated attacks. We will continue to stand up for truth and accountability, protect our democratic principles, defend our people, and uphold the best interests of the Red River M茅tis.鈥�

The lawsuit, brought by the M茅tis National Council, alleged Chartrand, Chartier and former MNC executive director Wenda Watteyne conspired to intentionally harm the MNC through "secret, unauthorized and self-serving transactions" between 2019 and 2021. The lawsuit cited the administration of a veterans program, a database, an office lease and various consulting agreements.

The MNC alleged the actions of the former employees were meant to "destroy" the organization so that the MMF would serve as the national voice for M茅tis. Merritt concluded that was not true.

"Mr. Chartier and President Chartrand devoted their lives to the M茅tis Nation," Merritt wrote.

"They did not set out to destroy the MNC and harm it financially to benefit themselves, the consultants or the employees."

The M茅tis National Council said it is "disappointed with the outcome of the case" and that it remains committed to transparency, accountability and the protection of the interests of the M茅tis Nation.

"Court decisions may affect the pace, but they will never change our direction. The M茅tis Nation is stronger than any single dispute, and together we will keep telling our stories, defending our rights, and building our future," MNC president Victoria Pruden wrote in a media statement.

Merritt found the evidence brought forward by the M茅tis National Council, the M茅tis Nation of Alberta and the M茅tis Nation of Ontario was not credible, and that the presidents of those organizations at times refused to admit they had provided incorrect information to the court.

"Overall, I found Mr. Chartier, President Chartrand and Ms. Watteyne鈥檚 evidence more credible and reliable," Merritt wrote.

In the decision, Merritt wrote extensively about political infighting at the M茅tis National Council since 2017, when the M茅tis Nation of Ontario recognized six new communities it maintains are distinctly M茅tis.

The Manitoba M茅tis Federation has fiercely opposed that decision. It quit the M茅tis National Council in 2021 saying those communities do not represent legitimate M茅tis peoples and are situated well outside the recognized M茅tis homeland borders 鈥� one sits on the Quebec border.

Generally, M茅tis are understood to be a group born of intermarriages between European settlers and First Nations around the Red River in Manitoba who later settled the surrounding region.

The M茅tis Nation of Ontario has pushed back against criticism of its decision to recognize the communities and was briefly suspended from the M茅tis National Council by Chartier.

Since the Manitoba M茅tis Federation left the council, the M茅tis Nation-Saskatchewan and the M茅tis Nation of British Columbia and have followed suit, citing similar concerns about who the M茅tis Nation of Ontario represents.

Only the M茅tis Nation of Ontario and the M茅tis Nation of Alberta remain as members of the M茅tis National Council.

This report by 国产诱惑福利 was first published Nov. 25, 2025.