Métis Nation seeking improved employment opportunities for Métis persons with
disabilities

SASKATOON, SK, Jan. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - The Métis National Council (MNC) is launching a new project to find ways of improving employment opportunities for Métis persons with disabilities. With support from the Aboriginal Skills and Training Strategic Investment Fund, part of the Federal government's economic stimulus initiatives, the MNC is making the improvement of skills development and employment opportunities for Métis Nation citizens with disabilities a top priority.

As part of this project, the MNC will be partnering with the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW), the leading cross-disability organization promoting the equitable, meaningful and sustainable employment of persons with disabilities in Canada . The MNC and CCRW will cooperate in establishing a national advisory group, which will explore innovative and effective tools and services aimed at meeting the employment needs of Métis persons with disabilities.

Gary Tinker , a leading Métis advocate for improving the lives of persons with disabilities, will be one of the MNC's representatives on the national advisory group.

The MNC and CCRW will also be holding a National Training Forum for Métis Nation employment counselors, giving them the tools to better serve Métis persons with disabilities entering or reentering the workforce.

Media are invited to attend the launching of this partnership this Tuesday, January 19, 2010 , in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

    
    What:     Launch of partnership between Métis National Council and
              Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work

    Who:      Clément Chartier, President, Métis National Council
              Bruce Smith, 1st Vice-chair, Canadian Council on Rehabilitation
              and Work
              David Chartrand, Vice-president and Minister responsible for
              Human Resource & Skills Development, Métis National Council
              Carole Barron, President and CEO, Canadian Council on
              Rehabilitation and Work
              Gary Tinker, Vice-chair, Gary Tinker Federation for the
              Disabled

    When:     Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:00 a.m.

    Where:    Delta Bessborough -- Kelsey Room
              601 Spadina Crescent East
              Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
    

The MNC represents the Métis Nation in Canada at the national and international level. The Métis Nation's homeland includes the 3 Prairie Provinces and extends into Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northern United States . There are approximately 350,000 - 400,000 Métis Nation citizens in Canada , roughly a quarter of all Aboriginal peoples in the country.

For further information: Greg Taylor, MNC Communications, at [phone] or [email protected]