Né:ne Ratitsénhaiens Ronwatiio’ténhse

Office of the Council of Chiefs

The Office of the Council of Chiefs (OCC) provides support services to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawá:ke Chiefs. Those services include negotiators, advisors, technicians and support staff.

The OCC first started as the Advisory Unit in 1999 and was formerly known as the Intergovernmental Relations Team. There are about 25 staff working with the OCC, who provide support for Council's initiatives in the area of politics and governance.

The OCC receives its primary direction from the whole of Council (made up of 12 Chiefs) during Council meetings and, if required, receives clarifications on Council's direction from the Office of the Grand Chief (which is maintained separately).

OCC employs technicians and negotiators for projects the MCK is working on, such as the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis and the Quebec/Kahnawá:ke Relations files.

One of the biggest accomplishments for the OCC is the opening up of channels with all ministries of the Canadian government. The MCK no longer has to deal with just the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development or its provincial counterpart.