by Viola Robinson, Lead Negotiator, KMKNO
February 28, 2013
Dear Chiefs & Councils:
Thank you for bringing forward questions from your community with respect to the Negotiation process and on Kwilmu’kw Maw – klusuaqn Negotiation (KMKNO).
I have spent my career working on the issues that are so important to the Mi’kmaq, I take these concerns very seriously.
I want to take the opportunity to respond personally to some of these questions and to highlight that they have also been included in the February issue of the Mi’kmaq Maliseet Nations News.
The Made-In-NS-Process is listed on AANDC’s negotiation table as a comprehensive land claim agreement. Please explain.
This is just the Federal claims classification.
The Federal Government has two types of claims departments – specific and comprehensive.
The people that we deal with are in the comprehensive claims section. This does not mean, however, that the comprehensive claims policy is what we are working under.
In other words, the fact that we are not receiving loan funding, the fact that we are working on agreements that would recognize and implement historic treaties, etc. are both contrary to the current comprehensive claims policy and mandate.
At our table, the federal team will be seeking a specific mandate in order to meet our expectations outside of the current policy.
I’ve heard that KMKNO is implementing ou ...
