Corner Brook protest seeks changes to Qalipu enrolment process

A member of the Qalipu First Nation is calling on his band's leadership to abandon a signed agreement with Canada's federal government.

About 25 people turned out to a small demonstration in Corner Brook Tuesday, organized by Blain Ford.

Ford and other demonstrators were protesting the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation's enrolment criteria, which they say will unfairly limit membership into the group.

• Scrap Qalipu membership requirements, says Mi'kmaq association chair

Under a review process that was started by an agreement between the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and the federal government in 2013, thousands of applications to the Qalipu First Nation will be reviewed through a point system.

Decisions are set to be sent in January using the point system, which assess points for meeting certain criteria — like living in a Mi'kmaq community. Ford says the criteria are too strict.

"Thousands and thousands of people on this island will lose their status," said Ford. "There's going to be family and friends all over the mainland that's going to lose their status because of this supplementary agreement."

"Who is the federal government to say who we are, where we live? We are native."

Can't back out: Chief

Ford is calling on Qalipu leaders to try to withdraw from the 2013 supplemental agreement, in order to force a change in the process.

But Chief Brendan Mitchell says there's very little his group can do.

"Whether Qalipu walked away from the supplemental agreement or not, that will not stop the supplemental agreement," Mitchell told the Corner Brook Morning Show.

"The supplemental agreement is a document, binding, approved, legal, supported by Bill C-25 passed in Parliament."

Mitchell agreed that the point system makes it very difficult to get Qalipu status — especially for people living outside Newfoundland.

But he defended the agreement's signing in 2013, arguing it was the only way to get a flood of 75,000 membership applications considered.

He said leaving the supplemental agreement would allow Ottawa to unilaterally decide how the enrolment process would unfold.

"I'm not trying to sugarcoat anything…people who live away from home are in jeopardy of losing those cards," he said.

"Hopefully, at the end of the day, we can make some positive changes to improve the situation for as many Aboriginal and Mi'kmaq people in Newfoundland and in this country as we can."