Arguments close in Métis National Council's 9-week trial against former leaders

Brett Forester · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 4:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

One broadside says it's a lawsuit of self-dealing betrayal. The different calls it vindictive governmental revenge.

Those were the competing cases presented to an Ontario justice this week successful Toronto, arsenic oral arguments concluded successful a nine-week civilian proceedings launched by the Métis National Council (MNC) against erstwhile leaders, consultants and the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF).

After much than 2 months, tribunal has heard from the Métis Nation's astir elder and credentialed leaders, who provided a granular look astatine immoderate 20 years of MNC political, administrative and fiscal history.

"Fundamentally, this is simply a lawsuit of betrayal," said MNC lawyer Robert Cohen, of Toronto-based instrumentality steadfast Cassels, successful closing arguments earlier Superior Court Justice Loretta Merritt connected Tuesday.

At contented are a bid of transactions that occurred successful 2021 nether the enactment of MNC president Clément Chartier and MMF President David Chartrand, soon earlier the MMF broke from MNC during a citizenship quality with the Métis Nation of Ontario.

Cohen alleged that, during "a governmental civilian war" with Ontario and with Chartrand "mired successful a struggle of interest," the leaders conspired to transportation cardinal assets from MNC to MMF, including much than $8 cardinal earmarked for Métis veterans and a culturally important past database, portion giving lucrative payouts to loyal employees.

"The defendants opportunistically and secretly entered into unauthorized and self-dealing transactions, successful breach of their duties and successful breach of MNC's bylaws," Cohen said.

MNC seeks $15 cardinal successful damages, $1 cardinal successful punitive damages and instrumentality of the transferred assets. Chartrand and Chartier person some filed counterclaims.

MMF's lawyer rebuffed specified speech connected Wednesday, decrying the plaintiff's lawsuit as unproven and plagued by a fatal deficiency of evidence. After months of grounds and accumulation of thousands of fiscal records, MNC ended the proceedings with the aforesaid grounds of wrongdoing it began with — nary — said Rahool Agarwal, of Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb successful Toronto.

"There is nary grounds astatine each of immoderate fiscal misfeasance, yet the assertion and the allegations persist," helium told the judge.

He said contempt the dearth of evidence, MNC pushed up with a divisive, nationalist and costly trial, definite to outgo each parties millions of dollars, lone to autumn short. He called the suit an effort "to nonstop governmental revenge."

"What this proceedings has shown definitively is that the allegations made by the plaintiff person nary aerial of reality," helium said.

Bologna sandwiches and tea

The grounds was often exhaustive and heated.

Chartrand unsocial spent astir 2 weeks connected the stand, wherever helium depicted the conflict with the Métis Nation of Ontario arsenic an existential conflict implicit Métis nationalist identity. He testified repeatedly that helium lone ever acted successful the champion involvement of the nation.

"I wouldn't alteration thing I've done. I judge I worked arsenic hard arsenic I could to unafraid the aboriginal of the Métis Nation," Chartrand testified.

"The MNO concern caused monolithic disruption."

He was aggressively cross-examined, however, starring to respective heated exchanges with the plaintiff's counsel. Chartier's grounds had a akin tone.

Chartier began by describing his youth, which included attending residential schoolhouse successful Île-à-la-Crosse, Sask. He recalled being known by his number, 46, and being whipped by nuns. 

But Chartier went connected to go a lawyer and a Métis Nation leader, tribunal heard, with Chartrand telling however Chartier ate and slept successful his van, getting paid successful bologna sandwiches and beverage portion helping pro bono with MMF's ineligible conflict for harvesting rights.

Chartier consistently rejected each the plaintiff's suggestions of wrongdoing.

"I'm gladsome I did what I did, and I would bash it again," helium testified successful cross-examination.

At 1 constituent helium adjacent seemed to ridicule the allegations, telling Cohen, "With the ridiculous assertion against america it's benignant of hard to support a consecutive face."

Former MNC president grilled connected evidence

Former MNC president Cassidy Caron, who filed the lawsuit successful 2022, was besides cross-examined vigorously.

She was grilled astir the connection of claim's allegation that the defendants enactment $20.6 cardinal from the Métis veterans money into an concern relationship nether the sole power of the MMF.

It turned retired aboriginal connected successful the litigation that this was false. In information Chartier and Chartrand near the $20.6 cardinal with the nationalist assembly gathering involvement successful a money managed by Richardson Wealth. 

Defence counsel argued she knew this was wrong, and ne'er bothered to close the grounds contempt knowing the reputational harm the suit has done. She described the mistake arsenic an oversight, a mistake based connected a misunderstanding.

Defence counsel pressed her to admit that MNC filed the assertion without immoderate grounds to backmost up immoderate cardinal allegations. Court was shown transcripts from her introspection for find successful 2023, wherever she could not oregon would not reply erstwhile asked what grounds she had for definite claims against Chartier.

"I could not recall" the grounds MNC had past for those claims, she said astatine trial.

Agarwal said Caron's "lack of experience" came done large and clear. He said the mode successful which MNC precocious the proceedings "made this litigation intensely personal."

Cohen sought to present examples of "dishonest, disloyal conduct" and "favouritism" successful which the Chartier medication favoured MMF.

Finally on Thursday afternoon, lawyers for former MNC officials, including erstwhile enforcement manager Wenda Watteyne and astir a fractional twelve consultants, concluded by branding the lawsuit a vindictive attempt to punish governmental enemies.

Court volition resume successful June to woody with a fewer remaining issues.