The new N.W.T. Métis president, Garry Bailey, says having a new voting group at the table would complicate their self-government negotiations. (Provided by N.W.T. Métis)

The North Arm Métis Council wants voting rights at the annual N.W.T. Métis assembly.

The members are allowed to sit at the main table and speak on matters, but they are not allowed to put motions forward or vote on issues.

At an assembly held last week in Hay River, N.W.T., members from the North Arm Métis Council brought forward a motion to give them voting rights, but it was defeated.

The new N.W.T. Métis president, Garry Bailey, said having a new voting group at the table would complicate their self-government negotiations.

He says their agreement with the government only covers three communities: Hay River, Fort Resolution and Fort Smith, and the land claims areas they are dealing with are in the South Slave region.

“There are a lot of members we have scattered all over … they don't get to vote but they are part of our membership in our communities,” Bailey said.

One of the delegates from the North Arm Métis Council, Leah Mandeville, is a Métis woman from Fort Resolution, N.W.T.

“I'm still the same blood, I still come from the same people and we're being told you can only watch what we do," she said. "My grandfather, who was a very proud Métis man, would be disgusted with the way we are being treated.”

Bailey said as they move forward with self-government negotiations there could be a way to include other Métis groups.