Metis Nation suspends Gladue for 6 years

Joe McWilliams
South Peace News

It appears the Metis Nation of Alberta has had enough of Trevor Gladue.

The former provincial vice president, who lost a close, and acrimonious, presidential election last fall to incumbent Audrey Poitras, has been banned from the MNA political arena for six years.

The suspension was handed down by the MNA’s judiciary council March 5, following a hearing it held last fall into Gladue’s conduct.

But far from settling the controversy, the suspension has aggravated already serious divisions in Alberta’s Metis leadership. Gladue and his supporters seem more convinced than ever that his accusations last year about MNA lack of accountability were on the money.

“This decision disgusts me,” says Slave Lake Metis Local president Jamie Linington. “It’s a huge dictatorship right now.”

Gladue, formerly of Slave Lake, served a couple of terms as provincial vice president of the MNA. Last year he took a run at the president’s position, held for some years by Poitras. In the months leading up to the election, Gladue mounted a public campaign to discredit Poitras. He accused her of financial mismanagement (at best) and of other undemocratic behaviour in violation of MNA bylaws and tradition.

Poitras fought back, issuing counter-accusations. The consistent loser throughout the battle seemed to be the public image of the MNA.

When it came to the election, Gladue was also a loser, as the Metis electorate put Poitras back in power for another term in a fairly close vote.

After the election, on Oct. 8, 2008, the Metis judiciary council held its hearing on Gladue’s conduct. According to a March 9 MNA release, the action against Gladue was instigated by Bev Weber of MNA Region 3 and Jeannette Hansen of Medicine Hat.

The news release reads the judiciary council found Gladue “used his office to undermine the positions taken by MNA president and provincial council, to prevent provincial council from voting on ... urgent matters, and to spread false, prejudicial information...”

The news release also quotes Weber as saying, “If anyone has hurt or wronged Mr. Gladue, it was he himself, by resorting to actions that supported a personal agenda without regard for his responsibilities to the Metis people...”

Gladue is resigned to being out of Metis politics for the first time in many years. He says he’s started a consulting business and doing quite well. He’s adds he’s not interested in continuing to fight the MNA leaders.

“I’m just going to say my piece and move on,” he says.

Gladue denies he behaved improperly while in office, saying he spoke his mind on matters of serious concern to the Metis people.

To Gladue, the action of the judiciary council in suspending him is “mind-boggling”.

“It’s a rogue state. Every possible process of democracy is violated.”

Gladue says the action is Poitras’ and her supporters’ way of making sure he isn’t in the race for president at the next election. He adds it shows Poitras and the MNA do not care for free speech, which makes them less like a proper government and more like a private club, suspending memberships as they please.

“It’s unfortunate,” he says. “It gives the MNA’s legitimacy as a government a failing grade.”

Dean Lindsey, of Kinuso, a board member in the Region 5 Metis organization, agrees.

“It’s crooked politics,” he says. “It seems to be a very biased organization.”

As for the MNA, it certainly has some internal fences to mend. Linington says there was a split down the middle on many issues over the past few years, with about half the provincial council members lining up with Gladue, the other half with Poitras.

With Gladue out of the picture, the MNA is now looking to move ahead.

“Mr. Gladue has left a legacy of harm in his wake,” says Weber in the March 9 MNA release. “The current provincial council now has the duty to rebuild the trust of our nation, government, banking institutions and all those with whom we deal ... in a professional capacity.”

It’ll take some doing to get people like Linington on side. However irritating Gladue may have been to certain Metis leaders, it was a two-way street, she says.

And suspending him was not right.

“I’m not saying anyone is perfect, but ... I couldn’t say enough how wrong this is to me, and how immoral it is.”

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