Last week I received a last-minute invite from my dad, North Slave Metis Alliance (NSMA) president Bill Enge, to attend a two-day Indigenous law conference in Vancouver.
Columnist Shelley Wiart took this photo in late April in Vancouver of her father, North Slave Metis Alliance president Bill Enge, and prominent Vancouver-based Metis lawyer Jean Teillet.
photo courtesy of Shelley Wiart
It was a welcome reprieve from the eternal winter in Alberta; I live in Canada’s only border city, Lloydminster, where the news reported in mid-April a record-breaking number of cold days this winter -- 167 consecutive days of minimum temperatures at or below zero degrees.
I did not have to be coerced into fresh coastal air, green grass, sunshine and the entertaining conversations with my dad and Uncle, Arnold Enge. I arranged childcare, postponed my university studies, and hopped on a plane for the city of amazing wine, food, culture, and beauty.
The highlight of the law conference -- and the reason that the NSMA board, including Marc Whitford, and Bob Mercredi -- were all in attendance, was prominent Vancouver-based Metis lawyer, and great-grandniece of famed Metis leader Louis Riel Jean Teillet was presenting on Metis law cases from across Canada.
She included in her presentation the NSMA Bathurst caribou lawsuit win against the NWT and the latest win in October 2017 of the federal and territorial government’s failure to properly consult NSMA on land claim negotiations.
Bill was in his glory as he quizzed Jean on legal definitions and Metis rights after her presentation. You could tell she was hesitant to answer some of his more controversial law questions -- the moderator intervened on her behalf before anything too dicey rolled across the stage and the lawyers, including Crown prosecutors and government officials ducked for cover.
After the presentation Jean strolled up to Bill and chided him for speaking above everyone’s head, as few people have the amount of Metis legal experience and knowledge that both of them do. Personally, I think she didn’t want to answer his questions in a room full of lawyers and was using avoidance tactics to divert controversy -- that’s why she’s paid the big money!
The best part of their exchange was Bill posing with Jean for a picture, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, as he professed his admiration for her law skills. I laughed as I snapped a photo of her begrudgingly standing beside a giant Metis guy wearing shorts at a law conference. I admit that Bill doesn’t always have the most professional garb in the room, but when it comes to Metis rights, activism, and the law, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone more passionate.
I suspect Bill will never find another Metis woman after his own heart and as well versed on Indigenous law, and Metis rights as Jean; however, it is unrequited love. It still doesn’t deter him from getting a picture with her any chance he gets, and gushing about her afterwards.
I posted their photo on Twitter and tagged her in it. The next day she liked the tweet and I texted Bill to tell him the exciting news. He replied, “I love that photo with her… I think I’ll frame it … she’s my hero.”
My lesson after this law conference and Bill’s enthusiasm, regardless of Jean’s ambivalence, is that passion will get you far in life, and while Jean was a little annoyed by Bill’s questions, and his persistence, I think she has hard earned respect for his legal knowledge and passion for Metis rights. I know I do, and it’s always fun to watch him in action.
As Bill’s birthday present I think I’ll make a Jean Teillet collage of all their photos together and frame it. I’ll send Jean one to her University of British Colombia campus office with a personal invite to visit us in Yellowknife.
After all, the NSMA made legal history with our recent lawsuit win, and she acknowledged the importance of it at this law conference -- we must be doing something right!