Court proceedings regarding the lawsuit brought against the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake by Waneek Horn-Miller and fifteen (15) other persons began on Monday, November 27, 2017. They are challenging a MCK law that prevents non-Indigenous people from living on the Mohawk territory. It’s known as the “marry out, stay out” law, and they argue the Mohawk council’s residency laws are unconstitutional and discriminatory.

On the other hand, Joe Delaronde, spokesperson for the council, told the CBC:

“People in his community are disappointed the dispute is now before a non-Mohawk tribunal. The real concern for us is that a community law is being challenged in a Quebec court when, really, we’ve made that determination all along. The bottom line is that non-Indigenous people are welcome in the community but cannot live there…we are on a postage stamp next to Montreal surrounded by Quebec, Canada, the United States, everybody. It’s very difficult to maintain identity, language, culture.”

A certain number of MCK Chiefs, including Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton and Ietsénhaienhs Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, who holds the Membership Portfolio, are scheduled to testify on behalf of the MCK.

The trial is taking place at the Quebec Superior Court at the Longueuil Courthouse and is scheduled run until December 13, 2017.