Audrey Poitras

Audrey Mae Poitras (born 1950)[1] has served as president of the Métis Nation of Alberta since 1996, the first female in that position. She also serves as vice-president on the Canadian Métis National Council and joined the Board of the Canadian Executive Service Organization in 2004.[2]

Audrey M. Poitras
Born1950
NationalityCanadian
OccupationPolitician
Known forLongest serving President of the Métis Nation of Alberta

Born Audrey Mae Dumont, the daughter of Jean Baptiste Dumont and Mabel Kinchshe, she shares common ancestry with Gabriel Dumont, and has family ties to the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement. She grew up on a farm near Elk Point, Alberta, 150 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.[1]

Career

Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) President, Audrey Poitras is one of the highest profile Métis women in Canada. Audrey was elected as the first female President in 1996, becoming the longest-serving President of the MNA. This is a strong statement that displays the trust and leadership she has gained. Audrey has been a strong advocate for Métis rights and will continue to move the Métis rights agenda forward with the help of the Daniels Supreme Court decision in 2016.

President Poitras successfully negotiated partnerships with colleges and universities, for Métis Endowment funds of 22 million. She also oversaw the creation of the MNA's Rupertsland Institute, Métis Centre of Excellence, which is a unique partnership with the University of Alberta promoting education, training and Research.

Audrey is recognized within Alberta as a leader who is committed to helping build a better economic future for the Métis Nation. She has been supportive in developing business relationships, which has included the establishment of a business vendor database that has helped open doors for Indigenous people's involvement in the natural resource sector.

In September 2003, as Interim President of the Métis National Council, Audrey Poitras announced to the world, "We won! We won!" when the Supreme Court of Canada made its historic ruling in R vs. Powley, a landmark case which affirms Métis as Aboriginal people with rights protected by the Constitution.

One year later, in 2004, President Poitras completed negotiations and signed the historic Interim Métis Harvesting Agreement with Alberta, which is the first agreement in the country to deliver harvesting rights to Métis.

In April 2004, Audrey represented the Métis Nation at the historic Canada Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable attended by more than 20 federal cabinet ministers and 70 Aboriginal leaders from across the country. Sitting alongside the Prime Minister and other national Aboriginal leaders, Audrey affirmed the Métis Nation's commitment towards a Canada-Métis Nation Framework Agreement. President Poitras witnessed the signing of the Framework Agreement on May 31, 2005 during the federal Policy Retreat on Aboriginal issues in Ottawa.

In 2005, Audrey was honoured to learn that she was being named in CBC's The Alberta 100, and Alberta's 50 most influential people by Alberta Venture magazine.

In 2017, Alberta Chamber of Resources selected Audrey as the 2016 Indigenous Leader of the Year. The award is designed to honour Indigenous leaders dedicated to advancing the cause of their people while building bridges with the resource sector. She has also received numerous awards and achievement milestones throughout her leadership, including a National Aboriginal Achievement Award.

One of Audrey's greatest achievements, in the preservation of Métis culture, history and language was the creation of Métis Crossing, a multimillion-dollar cultural interpretive site, along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River near Smoky Lake, Alberta. Métis Crossing has proved to be not only a smart business choice, but one that will remain for a long time to come.

Under her leadership, the MNA continues to be a model of success in representing and pursuing the social, political, and economic interests of the Métis people in Alberta. The credibility of the MNA continues to increase, as evidenced by activities over the past 21 years with Audrey Poitras at the helm, where the legitimacy and accountability of the MNA has risen to unprecedented heights.

Currently she lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

Achievements and Awards
  • Appreciation Award, University of Alberta. School of Native Studies 1998
  • Metis National Council 1999
  • Region 2 Recognition Award MNA 1999
  • Native Counselling Service Of Alta. 2001
  • Uniting for Children, Children's Services Ministry 2003
  • Esquao Lifetime Achievement Award, Institution For Advancement of Aboriginal Women 2002
  • Louis Dorion Award for Outstanding Commitment, Batoche 2002
  • Politics Award, Aboriginal Role Models of Alberta 2002
  • Order of the Métis Shawl, Métis Elder's Council 2003
  • Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal 2003
  • Hon. Degree in Management, NAIT 2005
  • CBC's The Alberta 100 Recognition 2005
  • Named one of Alberta's most influential people, Alberta Venture Magazine 2005
  • Circle of Honour, Institute For Advancement of Aboriginal Women 2007 (Highest honour given for work to improve lives of Aboriginal people)
  • Recognition Award, Aboriginal Veterans Society of Alberta 2009
  • National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Women in Politics 2011
  • Alberta Chamber of Resources Indigenous Leader of the Year Award 2016
  • Region 3 Recognition Award 2018

References
  1. "Métis Nation leader credits her success to believing in people". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-05-08. Retrieved 2006-05-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  1. "Metis". metis. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
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