News

Former chief urges change in Canadian laws

2 May 2008


QUEBEC -- As reported by the Montreal Gazette: "In 1999, the Parti Québécois government came close to recognizing the right of Kahnawake Mohawks to control gambling operations, including a controversial venture that has become a global hub in the billion-dollar online gambling sector, an industry conference was told yesterday.

"Former Kahnawake Grand Chief Joe Norton told a standing-room only session on aboriginal gaming that a draft document between Quebec and Kahnawake was reluctantly rejected by the province just as the Mohawks were launching Mohawk Internet Technologies.

"...While both governments contend that only Quebec has jurisdiction over gambling within the province, MIT has operated, unchallenged for almost a decade.

"...Yesterday, Norton and lawyer Morden (Cookie) Lazarus, who has acted for Kahnawake, urged that legislatiom 'or a mechanism' be enacted to recognize gambling as a legitimate aboriginal activity under the Canadian constitution.

"...MIT is a sophisticated operation using fibre optics and overseen by the Kahnawake gaming commission..."