Chronology - Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation

History

1949 – When Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation, the province faced unique issues related to the application of the Indian Act in the province. At the time, there was no agreement between the province and Canada as to if, how or when the Indian Act system would be applied to the Labrador Innu, who live primarily in Labrador, and the Mi’kmaq, who live primarily on the island of Newfoundland. In the absence of such an agreement, coupled with the fact that there were no reserve lands nor federal treaties requiring reserve creation, the Indian Act was not applied.

1976 - 1981 – A variety of studies and discussions took place regarding the application of the Indian Act to the Innu (organized as the Innu Nation, living primarily in Labrador) and the Mi’kmaq (organized under the Federation of Newfoundland Indians living primarily on the island of Newfoundland).

1981 – The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development agreed to proceed with Band recognition for the Mi’kmaq community of Conne River, a community with a unique history in the province and a concentrated population located on the island of Newfoundland. Discussions were also held to explore the application of the Indian Act for the members of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI).

1984 – Conne River First Nation was brought under the Indian Act. Canada also began joint research with the FNI on the application of the Indian Act for their members.

1989 – The FNI launched a Federal Court Action against Canada after no suitable solutions to address the concerns of both Canada and the FNI could be found.

2002 – The two Innu bands (located in Natuashish and Sheshatshui) in Labrador were brought under the Indian Act.

2002 to 2003 – Exploratory out-of-court talks with the FNI began in 2002 and preliminary negotiations started in 2003.

2004 to 2006 – The FNI and the Government of Canada negotiated for the creation of a band for the Mi’kmaq of Newfoundland. In 2006, an Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) was reached that identified the process for the creation of a band and the enrolment of its founding members.

November 30, 2007 – Canada and the FNI announced that they had completed negotiations and initialled the Agreement-in-Principle.

March 29, 2008 – 90 per cent of the eligible members of the FNI who voted in a ratification process supported the agreement. A simple majority was required for the vote to be successful.

June 23, 2008 – The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians and the President of FNI signed the agreement in Ottawa, Ontario.

November 30, 2009 – The first stage of the enrolment process held under the Agreement for the Recognition of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation concluded. As of this date, close to 26,000 applications for membership had been received.

February 5, 2010 – Mr. Calvin White, one of the Plaintiffs in the 1989 FNI action in the Federal Court of Canada, brought a motion to withdraw his consent to the 2008 Agreement and to seek an injunction preventing the creation of the band. This resulted in the suspension of the band creation process pending consideration of the motion by the Court.

June 14, 2011 – The Federal Court of Canada rendered its decision on the Calvin White motion, allowing for the creation of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation.

September 22, 2011 – The Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation (QMFN) was created.

June 21, 2012 – 23,877 members were registered as founding members of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band via Orders in Council. This amount represents all of those who applied prior to November 30, 2009, and who were determined to be eligible for founding membership in the first stage of the enrolment process.

September 1, 2012 to November 30, 2012 – 46,000 applications were submitted for enrolment, bringing the total to over 101,000 applications.

November 2012 – Due to the significant increase in the number of applications and the fact that these applications could not have been considered prior to the end of the enrolment process, Canada and FNI agreed to discuss next steps regarding the consideration of applications and the appropriate implementation of the 2008 Agreement.

July 4, 2013 – Canada and the FNI announced the Supplemental Agreement.