The following email from Wayne Melanson, Parks Canada, dated August 20, 2017 is shared with his permission:
​
Port Royal National Historic Site
​Email from Wayne Melanson (Port Royal) Aug. 20, 2017
"Hello/Bonjour everyone,
I wish to thank the Association des Acadiens Métis Souriquois for coming to Port-Royal National Historic Site yesterday afternoon (Sunday, August 20, 2017). It was a wonderful event. 

​"Our visitors really appreciated the opportunity to learn more about your association, the culture/demonstrations that your shared with them as well as the opportunity to actively participate in the smudging/drumming/singing and prayers activities that your group performed. Thank you very much for having come to share your knowledge and experience with all of us at Port-Royal.

Kejimkujik National Park is a treasured natural resource comprised of woodland forests, rivers, and an extensive network of canoe and hiking trails. Designated in 2010 as a "Dark Sky Preserve" Keji is one of the few places in Nova Scotia where visitors may experience the night sky in total darkness. The many lakes and rivers that wind through Keji were once used as a bay to ocean trail by the Mi'kmaq people, who would follow them by canoe from the Bay of Fundy to the Atlantic Ocean.  The term, "Kejimkujik" came from the Mi'kmaq language and one definition has Keji referring to the "sore muscles" experienced by the Mi'kmaq after a day of paddling and portaging in the region.Kejimkujik National Park is a treasured natural resource comprised of woodland forests, rivers, and an extensive network of canoe and hiking trails. Designated in 2010 as a "Dark Sky Preserve" Keji is one of the few places in Nova Scotia where visitors may experience the night sky in total darkness. The many lakes and rivers that wind through Keji were once used as a bay to ocean trail by the Mi'kmaq people, who would follow them by canoe from the Bay of Fundy to the Atlantic Ocean.  The term, "Kejimkujik" came from the Mi'kmaq language and one definition has Keji referring to the "sore muscles" experienced by the Mi'kmaq after a day of paddling and portaging in the region.

"Wasted Energy on the Battles Against Appropriation and Racism: Indigenous Systems are Resistance" ... by Indigenous Motherhood (May 17, 2017)
"Sen. Murray Sinclair blasts Globe and Mail for propagating ‘racist fallacy’ ... by Jorge Barrara, APTN News (April 4, 2017")
"Your Morning with Grand Pre 2017" --  August 16 at 3:12pm 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT: First things first… I would like to acknowledge that all of the land, formerly known as Acadie (with the exception of dyked lands) is un-ceded Mik’maw territory. Occupation of this land is by the good will of the First Nation Mik’maw. Merci! Canada 150 years;  Wedgeport 250 years;  Acadie 413 years;  Mik’maki 13,000 years...Lots to celebrate!  ​Great strides are taking place this year to guarantee AAMS is a driving force well into the future. As described in the last newsletter, the Provincial START Program grant for $11,500.00 pays 75% of the wages for the Office Administrator. AAMS has also received a grant from Culture and Heritage for $5,000.00, plus a $500.00 grant from the Municipality of Argyle. The Municipality of Argyle grant will be used as a tool to help defer operational costs.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT JOSEPH JACQUARD: ​For reasons of brevity and with a promise of more newsletters to come in 2017, I will keep this report short and only as it pertains to a symposium that took place in Ottawa on March 21st and 22nd, 2017. Called the “Daniels Symposium” it was facilitated by the Congress of Aboriginal People and attended by Alyre Theriault (2nd Vice) and myself (Joseph Jacquard-President). Federal Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Carolyn Bennett made a brief speech promising to put into serious consideration the report generated by the symposium. The Federal government is working towards a comprehensive plan for all indigenous people in Canada and asked for continued patience because “these things take time to get it right” and she is not quite ready to divulge details.

THE DENIED COMMUNITY RIGHTS OF THE ACADIAN METIS
A commentary by l'Association des Acadiens-Métis Souriquois (AAMS) October 2009

​In the context of the Canadian Constitution Act (1982), and in the context of the “Powley Criteria” as
established by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2003, the constitutional rights claimed by the Métis in
Eastern Canada are being denied by the testimonies of certain historians in the courts. Sections 35 (1)
and (2) of the Canadian Constitution Act indicate that the existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the
aboriginal peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed; and in this Act, the “aboriginal
peoples of Canada” include the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada. However, in 2003, the
Supreme Court of Canada established the Powley Criteria that describe the qualifications required in
order for a Métis community to be recognized as a “rights-holder” in the context of the Canadian
Constitution. The most significant criteria indicate that a contemporary community, that is seeking
recognition as a Métis rights-holder, must self-identify as a Métis community and show that it is the
continuation of a historical Métis community that existed in a particular area, as an identifiable Métis
community, with a unique and distinct culture, prior to the time of effective political and legal control
by Europeans. Therefore, the following discussion will focus on the controversy associated with
ascertaining the presence or absence of qualifying “Métis Communities” in Acadia.