by Crystal Dorey, Communications Officer, KMKNO

In May Chiefs in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island received a letter from the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) on the Chief Jesse John Simon Case.

The Simon Case, better known by many in the community as the Social Assistance case, began in early 2012, as the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs worked alongside Mi’kmaq and Maliseet Chiefs from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to reject the proposed changes to the on-reserve social assistance program, presented by AANDC.  The Chiefs saw that the new policy would have substantial financial impacts for social assistance recipients and would change eligibility requirements and that these changes would greatly impact the budget of Mi’kmaw families, as well as overall community budgets.

Recently Bernard Valcourt, Minister of AANDC, sent a letter to all Chiefs and Councils party to the court case to inform them that as of April 1st, 2016 all communities must introduce the new rates and eligibility requirements.  He also referenced the impact study and Terms of Reference document that the Chiefs were working on, stating that AANDC would be abandoning any work done to date on these items. This was despite the fact that his staff had made a commitment to continue this work not matter the outcome of the Federal Court of Appeal decision.

The Chiefs are especially concerned with recent comments to the New Brunswick’s Telegraph-Journal in Apr ...