MCK announces five point plan regarding non-Natives illegally residing in Territory
06/01/2015
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) announced that Chief & Council have formalized and unanimously approved an action plan today to address the issue of non-Natives residing illegally within the Territory.
The immediate goal of the plan is to engage the community in finding peaceful solutions to this issue as well as confirming the will of the people regarding Membership and Residency.
The plan includes the following action steps:
- Public education package on Membership and its history
- Education on the rationale behind Membership to external communities and media
- Establish discussion forums on all aspects of the issue
- Conduct a referendum on the principle of non-Native residency
- Assess the need to expedite the establishment of a separate Residency Law
In parallel, Chief & Council will be reaching out to Traditional representatives to ensure that all leadership is engaged in the citizenship/Membership discussion.
“We are clearly at the point that the threat faced by the MCK and the community by the impending lawsuit can no longer stop us from addressing the issues head on,” said Grand Chief Michael Ahríhron Delisle, Jr. “While we’ve been careful to avoid compromising our case, it is more important to find ways to work on possible solutions.”
“A series of brief videos providing ‘snapshot’ views on the history of Membership will be broadcast on Paul’s Cable and YouTube,” he continued. “Additionally, we are reviving the plan announced last fall to provide forums allowing for respectful dialogue, discussion and sharing of ideas.”
“The idea for a referendum comes from the desire to answer the question of whether the community supports the principle of non-Native spouses/partners being ineligible to live on the Territory in a more definitive manner,” Grand Chief Delisle concluded. “It is clear that there is a need to confirm the will of the people.”
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