Metis eye opportunities from massive land claim settlement

The Manitoba Metis Federation has put together a powerfulinvestmentteam, including a former Prime Minister, to find opportunitiesin the wake of alandmark land claims ruling.

MMF president David Chartrand was all smiles in Winnipeg on Wednesday as he unveiled his "all-star team," which will create a legacy fund to support the Metis community once a settlement is secured with the Crown.

Thatclaim that could total in the billions of dollars, Chartrand said.

• Mtis celebrate historic Supreme Court land ruling

The MMF has created the Land Claims Strategic Investment Committee to helpfind business and development oppportunities,and invest the money properly to "support the aspirations of the Mtis people for generations to come."

The committee includes former PM Paul Martin, Hartley Richardson (CEO of James Richardson & Sons), Sanford Riley (CEO of Richardson Financial Group and chair of the University of Winnipeg Foundation), Harvey Secter (arbitrator and mediator and chancellor of the University of Manitoba), and Eric Newell (retired Alberta business exec).

'Riel put together a committee when he negotiated Manitoba into Confederation. Now, I'm putting together my committee.' MMF president David Chartrand

Funding education for Metis people will be a priority, said Chartrand.

"We shouldn't be asking 'are they going to university?' We should be asking, 'which university will they be going to?'" he said.

"I am delighted that the MMF has placed the focus of this legacy initiative on building the health, education, and economic opportunities for the future generations of the Metis people," Martin said.

The land claims case was initiated by the MMF in 1981 and in March 2013, Canada's top court ruled in its favour.

The court found the federal government failed to follow through on a land dealnegotiated with Louis Riel and the Metis people to end the Red River resistance in 1870, whichled to thecreation of the province of Manitoba.

The Metis had argued to the Supreme Court that Ottawa reneged on its promises under the Manitoba Act, which promised to set aside 5,565 square kilometres of land for 7,000 children of the Red River Mtis. That land includes what is now the city of Winnipeg.

The court ruling did not order any particular remedies butopens the door to land claim negotiations or talks toward other forms of compensation from the federal government.

"Riel put together a committee when he negotiated Manitoba into Confederation. Now, I'm putting together my committee," Chartrand said.

"The recent Supreme Court decision made it clear that with respect to the Manitoba Act of 1870, Canadas government of the day did not act in good faith with respect to the Metis people," Richardson said.

"This was to the detriment of the Metis but now is the time to put the past behind us as we focus on future investment opportunities for young Metis people."