Joint Press Release From the Ktaqmkuk (da-hum-gook) Mi'kmaq Alliance of Bay St. George, NL and The Sip'kop Mi'kmaw Band of St. Alban's, NL Issued at Stephenville and St. Alban's - January 24, 2003 Bert Alexander, Chief of the Ktaqmkuk (da-hum-gook) Mi'kmaq Alliance, and Jake Davis, Chief of the Sip'kop Mi'kmaw Band have announced that they have joined forces in their common objective to seek equality with first Nation's peoples in Canada. This includes full status registration under the Indian Act for their members. Consequently, they will be initiating legal action in the supreme court of Newfoundland against the Government of Canada. The pending action relates to the exclusion of the Mi'kmaq people from their rightful recognition under the Federal Indian Act when Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949 and the subsequent denial of benefits and programs for the Mi'kmaq people since that time. The Alliance has retained the services of a well-known Corner Brook law firm, Monaghan, Marshall, Allen-Westby, Murphy & Watton as its legal counsel. The Sip'kop Mi'kmaw Band will be represented by Jerry Wetzel, a prominent Conne River, Grand Falls-Windsor lawyer who is considered an expert on aboriginal law relating to the Mi'kmaq people of Newfoundland. The Alliance has been granted funding for its legal costs by the Court Challenges Program of Canada located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Equality Rights Panel of the Court Challenges Program granted approval of funding at a meeting held on November 22, 2002 after determining that the Alliance had presented compelling evidence in its application for funding and that it should be granted band status accordingly. The Sip'kop Mi'kmaw Band was granted funding from the Court Challenges Program to develop its case for its members. This funding was approved in March 2001. Together the Ktaqmkuk (da-hum-gook) Mi'kmaq Alliance and the Sip'Kop Mi'kmaw Band represents over 3000 fully documented Mi'kmaq people. Approximately 500 of the Sip'kop Band's members are registered under the Federal Indian Act but as yet, have been denied equal access to benefits and programs which were granted to Mi'kmaw residents of Conne River in 1984. In addition, the Minister of Indian Affairs has refused to register an additional 100 Mi'kmaw members of the Sip'kop Band because they had no registered relatives in Conne River. Both the Ktaqmkuk Mi'kmaq Alliance and the Sip'kop Band intend to challenge the Federal Government's blatant acts of discrimination against their members. (Original signed) Bert Alexander Chief Ktaqmkuk Mi'kmaq Alliance Jake Davis Chief Sip'kop Mi'kmaw Band Back to the Wigwam ©2003-2008 KMA - Ktaqamkuk (Taga-ma-goog)Mi'kmaq Alliance   Hosted by Your Community, Online!