MMF, PADCOM reach mutually beneficial agreement

The Manitoba Métis Federation and the Potash and Agriculture Development Corporation of Manitoba have signed a Royalty Agreement.

The agreement involves a payment system that would see funds sent directly to the MMF to support Red River Métis citizens and drive economic development in the region.

“I think industry can learn a lesson from this and definitely have doors wide open instead of battling in the courts for years,” said David Chartrand, the MMF President.

Daymon Guillas, the President of PADCOM adds, “The deposit is so big we could be mining for 200 years, 300 years, as at a million tons per years, $400 a ton, today’s price that’s $400 million a year in revenue.”

PADCOM, which operates Manitoba’s potash mine near Russell, is the first company to enter into an agreement with MMF. The agreement marks a significant shift in the relationship between Indigenous governments and the mining industry.

President Chartrand pointed to a recent lawsuit between the Saskatchewan government and the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan over mining consultation in the north, with the Supreme Court siding with the Métis Nation.

“You got to spend 10 years, 20 years in court to see who’s the winner and who’s the loser, or you can find a way where you are both a winner,” Chartrand explained.

This signing comes at a time when the MMF is seeking ways to keep its business and its people out of the United States, as Donald Trump continues his threats of tariffs, leading to the MMF cancelling all non-essential business travel to the U.S., including the Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas next month.

“He said he’s not going to fight us with military he’s going to fight us with economic attacks, we need to get ready in this country, in this province and we as a Métis government need to do our share.”

President Chartrand also met with Premier Wab Kinew and the business community of Manitoba on Friday in an effort to prepare for continued threats from the U.S.