About the KMA

MISSION STATEMENT

"The mission of the Ktagamkuk Mi'kmaq Alliance is to develop and promote the cultural, social, economic and educational well-being of its members."

NEW ALLIANCE OF MI'KMAQ PEOPLE FORMED

The Ktaqamkuk (Taga-ma-goog) Mi'kmaq Alliance has been established to serve the needs of the Mi'kmaq people throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The mandate of the KMA is to promote and foster the cultural, economic, social and educational best interests of its members and it is presently accepting applications from all individuals who meet the prescribed criteria for membership.

The KMA has opened its boundaries to the entire Bay St. George area as well as other Mi'kmaq communities in the province outside of Conne River. It will encourage membership and will assist qualified individuals to join and take an active part in the aboriginal movement. The Mi'kmaq Alliance believes that membership in a Mi'kmaq band or organization is a birthright not a privilege. The KMA will be a transparent, non-profit organization working totally on behalf of the Mi'kmaq people of the province.

Its objective is to gain full status under Canada's Indian Act. The KMA will conduct its affairs in a manner consistent with the guidelines being sought by the Hon. Robert Nault, Federal Minister of Indian Affairs. Mr. Nault is proposing to revise the Indian Act to make band chiefs more open, more responsible and more accountable to the people.

One of the major reasons for establishing the KMA was a document titled the 2002 Mi'kmaq Regime, a set of guidelines for talks with the federal government which was prepared by FNI and presented to the Hon. Robert Nault, the Federal Minister of Indian Affairs back on January 21, 2002. The Mi'kmaq Alliance believe this is a sell-out of the Mi'kmaq people of Newfoundland and that the federal government is responsible and should be held accountable for abandoning its constitutional responsibility to the Mi'kmaq people when Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949. We are not less than other first nation's people in the province are or in other parts of Canada are so why should we be treated as less. Should an agreement ever be reached based on the guidelines of the 2002 Mi'kmaq Regime it will be a great deal for the federal government but a very bad deal for the Mi'kmaq people. That's why the KMA wants to chart its own course and deal with the federal government directly.

In 1949 the federal government, with the assistance of the provincial government attempted to assimilate the Mi'kmaq people into the mainstream Newfoundland population but it didn't work out as they planned because we're back and we're not happy. In 1986 the federal government discriminated against the vast majority of Mi'kmaq people once again when they approved status for Conne River while excluding thousands of Mi'kmaq people from other parts of the province.

The newly formed Ktaqamkuk Mi'kmaq Alliance is providing an option that existing FNI members and other Mi'kmaq people have not had in the past. Individuals living outside the province will also be eligible to become members upon submission of documented evidence linking them to Mi'kmaq ancestry in Newfoundland. Over the years many Newfoundland Mi'kmaq were forced to leave their homeland not only because of poor economic conditions but also because of the stigma attached to them of being Indian which made it even more difficult for them to find employment locally. The Mi'kmaq Alliance respects the rights of these individuals to be included.

Over the coming months an assessment will be conducted in each community to specifically determine the needs of the respective Mi'kmaq communities and individuals. This information will be compiled and analyzed to determine the course of action to be taken with the federal government in settling a number of outstanding issues and to secure benefits for the people equal to those obtained by First Nation's communities across Canada.

Support for the KMA has already been received from a number of communities in the province, some of whom have never had the assistance or representation in the past. It is determined to obtain programs, services and benefits that will serve the best interests of all the people, not just selected individuals or families as has been experienced in the past. The KMA is aware that nothing happens overnight, however after 53 years of neglect a better deal is worth waiting for and certainly worth fighting for. The KMA does not intend to make its decisions as a result of any kind of fear tactics prompted by anyone.

Myself and our band council would like to extend an invitation to all of who have documentation linking to Mi'kmaq families of Newfoundland.

Bert Alexander
Chief
Ktaqamkuk Mi'kmaq Alliance

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