Next Membership Law Community Consultation scheduled for Wednesday

04/15/2014

The Mohawk Council of Kahnaw�:ke (MCK) would like to inform the community that the 18th Community Consultation on proposed amendments to the Kahnaw�:ke Membership Law will proceed tomorrow  (Wednesday, April 16, 2014).

The Membership Department will present options to Section 20.1 on the �Suspension of a Member� for discussion.  Participants may suggest additional options on the subject matter and, through consensus, give their direction on suspension of a Member in the Membership Law.

The options for consideration on Suspension of a Member are:

(a)    Married or commenced a common-law relationship with a non-Indigenous person after May 22, 1981, or
(b)    Commences after May 22, 1981 to co-habit, in a conjugal relationship, with a person who has no Kanien�keh�:ka or Indigenous lineage for a period of more than six months ( or another suggested amount of time), or
(c)    Who allows a non-Indigenous person(s) to reside on their property.

�There have been many complaints made by the community implying that the law is not strong enough in addressing the issue of marriages or common-law relationships with non-Indigenous persons,� said Membership Portfolio Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer. �There is support for additional restrictions in the Membership Law in this regard. This is what we�ll talk about on Wednesday evening.�

The Consultation will be held from 6 to 8:30pm at the Golden Age Club. Participants are strongly urged to arrive on time in order for the meeting to begin promptly.