Mi'kmaq chiefs reject Acadian-Metis as distinct group, oppose Vautour N.B. land claim

Some members of the 67 families who continue the fight with Parks Canada over expropriation are shown in Kouchibouguac National Park in New Brunswick on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin Bissett)

FREDERICTON -

Mi'kmaq chiefs in New Brunswick are speaking out to oppose the land claim by the family of the late Jackie Vautour involving property within Kouchibouguac National Park.

For more than 50 years, the Vautours have claimed they are Acadian-Metis and have the permission of Steven Augustine, a hereditary chief of the Mi'kmaq Grand Council, to remain on the property on the province's east coast.

In a statement issued Friday, Mi'kmaq chiefs in the province say the Mi'kmaq hold title to the land that includes the park and the rights have not been extended to the Vautour family or the Acadian-Metis.

"The Mi'kmaq, the Metis National Council and the Societe de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick have all rejected the notion that 'Acadian-Metis' are a distinct Indigenous group," the chiefs wrote.

"For the Vautours to continue to claim they have a right to the lands in Kouchibouguac through the Mi'kmaq is wrong, and it must stop."

The chiefs also say they have seen an increase in the number of individuals and groups claiming aspects of the Mi'kmaq culture in order to advance their own personal interest. They say it is a form of cultural appropriation.

Jackie Vautour staged a 50-year battle against expropriation after the park was created in 1969, living in a cabin without electricity until his death in February 2021.

Parks Canada has written a number of letters to the Vautour family asking them to remove their belongings and leave the park.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the federal Crown agency said it was sticking to a deadline of the end of this month for the Vautours to leave.

Vautour's son, Edmond, says the issue is before the courts and nothing should be done until there is a decision from a judge.

"The court needs to decide, and not them," Vautour said in an interview Friday. "Let's go to court and let the proof be on the table, and a decision will be rendered."

Vautour said he's still waiting for a court date to be set, and he questioned the timing of the statement from the chiefs.

"Why would those chiefs say such a thing right now when we are so close to having a hearing on the matter? Why are they doing this now? What are they afraid of?" he asked.

Vautour said the chiefs need to think about the impact of their position on his nieces and nephews, who consider themselves as Mi'kmaq.

Vautour and others plan to hold a protest march at the entrance to the park on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2022.