MCK responds to Quebec Bill 74

06/02/2016

The Mohawk Council of Kahnaw�:ke (MCK) today responded to the recent enactment of Qu�bec�s Bill 74 � specifically the provisions of the Bill that are intended to prevent the residents of Qu�bec from accessing any online gaming site, other than sites offered or sanctioned by Loto-Qu�bec.

�We have a number of serious concerns about Bill 74,� said Chief Gina Deer, who holds the MCK gaming portfolio. �Masquerading as consumer protection, Bill 74 is clearly designed to revive Loto-Qu�bec�s struggling gaming offering by forcing Qu�bec consumers to play on Loto-Qu�bec�s site only � despite the fact that the 2014 Nadeau Report found ��it is hard to conclude that (Loto-Qu�bec) is achieving the objectives that it set itself in respect to secure, honest gambling (as) there is no external mechanism for the monitoring and control of online gaming.�

Since the enactment of the Kahnaw�:ke Gaming Law in 1996, the gaming industry has become an important socio-economic engine for the community of Kahnaw�:ke. Gaming has created much-needed revenue for public purposes and provided skilled employment for the people of Kahnaw�:ke, and many from outside the community.

�Bill 74 appears to be a deliberate effort to undermine the online gaming industry that Kahnaw�:ke has successfully built over the past 17 years and we are actively weighing our options to ensure that Kahnaw�:ke�s interests are protected,� Chief Deer added. �We have tried to work with Qu�bec to create a win-win solution that benefits all, but it seems they prefer to work alone when it comes to gaming.�

The MCK is not alone in raising concerns about Bill 74. Constitutional experts have declared that it is outside the scope of a province�s jurisdiction to restrict Internet content in this way. Civil libertarians have criticized Bill 74 as an unlawful incursion by the government into an individual�s right to decide what content she or he can access on the Internet.