Draft Kahnawake Residency Law First Hearing Phase completed

04/05/2019

The Kahnawà:ke Legislative Coordinating Commission (KLCC) would like to inform the community that the Community Decision Making Process (CDMP) Hearing for the draft Kahnawà:ke Residency Law (“the Law”) reached conclusion at last evening’s meeting. Consensus was reached on all matters on the agenda. With the changes approved by the participants, a new draft will be posted as soon as the changes are incorporated. It will then be posted for a final two week review.

In the Permits section (Sec. 32), consensus was reached to remove the clauses referring to Minor Child Permits. With that change, the Residency Permit was accepted, and consensus reached. The definition of Onkwehón:we Ancestry was changed in the Definitions section to read: “Onkwehón:we Ancestry means direct descent from at least two (2) great-grandparents who are not Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawà:ke, but were or are recognized as Ahsén:nen Onkwehón:we lineage verified by proof acceptable to the Registrar and, if necessary, by the Administrative Tribunal, the Court of Kahnawà:ke or the Kahnawà:ke Court of Appeal, as the case may be.”

In the Entitlements section, clause 4b (“A minor child who was adopted by a Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawà:ke prior to 2003”) was moved to Approved Kahnawà:ke Resident section – passed by consensus.

In the sections on Eviction Orders, clause 131 (“The removal of a person from the Territory in accordance with an Eviction Order must be temporarily stayed if: b) the decision to remove the person is issued between October 1st and May 1st”) was changed by consensus to ‘November 1st and April 1st.’

Finally, consensus was reached to bring forth incidental amendments in wording and re-numbering to the new draft, for consistency purposes.

As the Law is being processed using the CDMP Urgent Process, the Law will be read into the record at a Formal Reading. Enactment will take place followed by the posting of the Final Law. Once enacted, the Law must re-enter to CDMP regular process within one year.