OTTAWA — Federal cabinet minister Dan Vandal says it’s time for the province to fully include Métis in vaccine planning, just as the Manitoba Metis Federation launches its own COVID-19 testing program. "I am writing today to respectfully recommend that the province of Manitoba involve the full, and meaningful, participation of the (MMF) in Manitoba’s COVID-19 vaccination task force," Vandal wrote in a Jan. 15 letter obtained by the Free Press. Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal. The letter, addressed to Premier Brian Pallister, came a month after Manitoba received its first doses of vaccines, which are prioritized for several groups, including Indigenous communities.