Sociology Conversations

Engaging with Metis Communities and Duty to Consult: It Shouldn’t be Clear-cut - A Panel Discussion

View presentation

Presented 28 March 2022

Duty to Consult is a government obligation to consult with Indigenous communities about issues, such as resource extraction, that may affect treaty or Indigenous rights. How does the process of consultation (for example, in forestry) include or exclude Indigenous participation? This panel will present the experiences of several Metis citizens who have been involved in the duty to consult. It will explore legal obligations and the challenges associated with the consultation process from a Metis perspective.

Panelists:

Kaitlyn Harvey is Métis lawyer and geographer from Prince Albert, SK. Her areas of research and practice focus on the intersection of natural resource development and Indigenous, human, and constitutional Aboriginal rights, as well as comparative climate change mitigation and adaptation law, policy, and liability.

Jason Surkan (B.A.S, M.Arch, OAA Intern Architect) was born and raised near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Jason Surkan holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Carleton University. He completed his Masters of Architecture at the University of Manitoba in 2018. Jason worked as a Graduate Research Assistant studying Métis Architecture as part of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant. Jason is a member and Vice President of Fish Lake Metis Local #108, and a citizen of the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. He has been involved in many Duty to Consult processes with his community.

Doug Racine, CD LLB is a Metis lawyer with Aboriginal Law Group based in Saskatoon. Originally from Turtle Mountain Manitoba, Doug has represented Indigenous peoples in Duty to Consult processes for well over a decade. His experiences vary from oil and gas pipeline proposals, to nuclear licensing and forestry management.

More information:

Press Release - Northern Metis Concerned About Province's Forestry Plan for Island Forest

Community Consultation Report - Island Forests 2021-2041 Forest Management Plan