By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Quebec Superior Court has ruled that not only is there no historic Metis community in Lac-Sainte-Marie in the Maniwaki region, but there is no contemporary Metis community either. “(There) is not enough to demonstrate the existence of a contemporary community, let alone one that continues the cultural practices of the (alleged) historical community,” wrote Justice Thomas M. Davis in his June 14 decision. Three men, Royal Seguin, Louis Genereux and Benoit Chamaillard, argued before the court they had Metis status in order to claim Sect. 35 rights. They were all charged with illegally occupying lands belonging to the Quebec government. The men maintained they had the right to occupy the lands in the Maniwaki region and to exercise their ancestral rights to…
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