OTTAWA—If justice delayed is, indeed, justice denied, the Supreme Court of Canada is about to preside over one of the greatest denials of justice in Canadian history.With the plight of the people of Attawapiskat dominating the Canadian agenda and sparking fresh introspection of our treatment of aboriginals, another indigenous people is quietly ready for its date with destiny.
For the Métis of Manitoba, the wheels of justice have taken three decades to get to this point.
But they are trying to undo what they believe is a wrong perpetrated 141 years ago.
No court has yet seen history through their eyes.
The country’s highest court will hear arguments on a Métis land deal from 1870, an unfinished piece of Confederation that hinges on a promise John A. Macdonald made to Louis Riel.
The Métis case will be made by Thomas Berger, whose long career has included court victories for Canadian aboriginals, including the 1973 decision that led to the formal recognition of aboriginal title in this country, leading to land claim settlements covering half the Canadian land mass.