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M étis vow to battle on for hunting rights

The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) has vowed to continue a battle for hunting rights after Provincial Court Judge Ted Fisher handed down a Dec. 1 decision that Métis harvester Garry Hirsekorn was guilty of hunting without a license near Cypress Hills.

The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) has vowed to continue a battle for hunting rights after Provincial Court Judge Ted Fisher handed down a Dec. 1 decision that Métis harvester Garry Hirsekorn was guilty of hunting without a license near Cypress Hills. In the ruling handed down in Medicine Hat, Fisher ruled that Hirsekorn did not have the constitutional right to hunt for sustenance when he killed a mule deer in Elkwater, Alta. in 2007.

“Clearly we are disappointed with today’s decision but we knew this was a ‘test case’ and that it would be an uphill battle as we pursued our hunt for justice in this province,” said Audrey Poitras, MNA president, in a press release available on the organization’s website.

“We are a proud and resilient people. We won’t give up because of today’s decision,” she stated, adding the MNA believes the Constitution Act still protects the traditions of the Métis people to harvest throughout Alberta. “We will seek leave to appeal this important case for Alberta Métis as well as the entire Métis Nation.”

The Métis Nation of Alberta supported Métis hunters who staged hunts across the province to protest the Alberta government’s decision to end an interim harvesting agreement in 2007 after months of negotiations failed to result in a long-term agreement with the Métis people on hunting. The government argued that Métis hunting rights are site-specific and the Métis have no historic ties to or history of occupying settlements in southern Alberta, a stance with which Fisher agreed.

Quentin Bochar, president of the Alberta Fish and Game Association (AFGA), said in a phone interview that the court decision is “welcome news to AFGA as well as all conservationists in this province.”

Bochar explained that in his personal opinion, having different rules for different groups of people creates two different classes of people, those that can hunt all year round and those that can’t.

“I believe that we are all the same and should have equal rights to enjoy and appreciate wildlife in this province,” said Bochar.

In a statement on the AFGA website, Bochar acknowledges “that some Aboriginal people, living a traditional lifestyle in remote communities, rely on wildlife as their primary source of food and agree that these people, who are few in number, should be an exception to the rule.”

The website also indicated that Bochar is “hopeful that the same levelheaded decisions will be achieved in the remaining 20 or so cases yet to be heard.”

Karen (KC) Collins, president of Region 2 of the Métis Nation of Alberta, said she does not feel that permitting Métis big game harvesters to hunt without a license is a threat to conservation.

“Our people have harvested for generations and I believe they will continue to do so,” she said, adding the Métis harvesters she knows collect animals solely to feed their families. “I do not believe that our harvesters would have any effect on conservation.”

She further explained that when there was an interim harvesting agreement with the government, there was no increase in Métis harvesting.

“Of the 60,000 plus Métis people in Alberta, we are not all harvesters,” explained Collins.

She said she is looking forward to hearing what the higher courts have to say about Métis hunting rights in the province.

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