Manitoba Métis Federation president's remark in heated debate on Israel-Hamas war sparks concern

There were some heated moments last week at the largest annual gathering of the Manitoba Métis Federation after a member urged others to show support for a resolution calling on the organization to take a stand on the Israel-Hamas war.

During the federation's three-day annual general assembly in Winnipeg, attendees overwhelmingly struck down a resolution asking the MMF cabinet to "consider immediately condemning the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, including the actions of Israel and its military activities and the continued violation of human rights by the Israeli state."

Shortly before discussion and voting on the resolution began, David Chartrand, the president of the Métis Federation, mentioned James Lavallée — vice-chair of the MMF university student group that brought the resolution forward — during an unrelated debate.

"He's calling out to all these people supporting Palestine to come here and try to intimidate us, but I'll tell you something, you'll never intimidate a Métis.… I'll go out there and beat the shit out of anybody that comes and tries to threaten my people," Chartrand said to applause.

Lavallée told CBC News that his Facebook posts, which asked people to vote in support of the resolution, were what Chartrand was referring to.

Lavallée said the incident has left him concerned that Manitoba Métis citizens cannot debate the Israel-Hamas war, or similar issues, without facing threats at future assemblies.

Mohamed Crossman-Serb, who seconded the resolution, says it was a way to figure out the MMF's stance on the Middle East conflict, after previous emails and chats with the government's ministers were unsuccessful.

That curiosity was sparked after learning the MMF has had a partnership with Ben-Gurion University in Israel for several years, he said.

"We felt like this was the only way to kind of get the MMF to put out their position on the conflict," he told CBC News.

Earlier in the day, Crossman-Serb asked the assembly about the partnership with the university, and Chartrand responded that their agreement had been signed before Oct. 7 last year, when the war erupted after Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The death toll from Israel's retaliatory air and ground onslaught in Gaza has reached 43,020, the Gaza Health Ministry said in an update on Monday, with the densely populated enclave widely reduced to rubble.

Chartrand thanked Lavallée and Crossman-Serb for their "passion and vigour," but urged them to remember the Israeli hostages who are still being held by Hamas.

He also said he agrees that innocent Palestinian children are being killed in Israel's mission to take out Hamas.

"There's death on both sides," he said. "Clearly, you have terrorists on one side, and you've got a prime minister on the other side who's acting like a terrorist."

'Not our business'

In his address to the assembly before the vote on the resolution was held, Lavallée drew comparisons between the Métis and the Palestinians, and spoke of the number of children killed in Gaza.

"Our president thinks there [are] sides, that we cannot take a side. That's disgusting," Lavallée said, before several people in the crowd booed at him.

Soon after, Chartrand told Lavallée and Crossman-Serb from the stage that he's not going to show support for just one side of the war at the moment.

He later tried but failed to force an unofficial vote on the resolution.

"The war that's happening between Israel and the [Palestinians] right now is not our business," Chartrand said.

CBC News reached out to the MMF for an interview with Chartrand, but a spokesperson declined further comment.

Will Goodon, the federation's housing minister and the chair of the annual general assembly, said there was "some inappropriate talking from both the side that presented the resolution, and the side that was voting against it."

"There's no room for threats," he told CBC News in an Oct. 24 interview. "Name-calling [has] no place from either side and … I think it kind of went offside there a couple times." 

He's not entirely aware of what the MMF's agreement with Ben-Gurion University entails, but says he doesn't believe the organization is exchanging any money with the institution.

"It's something that we can reach out across the world [with], and find commonalities between our nation and other nations."

Goodon says he encourages people to stand up for causes that they believe in, but suggests they "also have an understanding that not everybody agrees with you."

"Sometimes, you need to take your message and take a step back, and find a way that you can bring it forward so that people will come with you, rather than yelling at them … to come with you."

Lavallée says Chartrand's comment before the resolution came to the floor, and his attempt to force a vote affected his pride in the assembly and its democratic processes.

However, he added, he received an "outpour of support" following the incident, which has motivated him to push forward. 

"My phone did not stop buzzing with people thanking us … for taking a stand, and making sure that their voices were heard, and not backing down even in the face of threats," he said.