TOP Stories

Two Jeeps Seized Pending Investigation
PKs suspect classic case of tax fraud
By: Dan Cross

The Kahnawake Peacekeepers foiled what appears to have been another vehicular tax fraud attempt on Tuesday, October 6.

After receiving information of two brand new vehicles parked on a flatbed truck by JR's Garage, PKs responded to find two non-local males delivering a pair of 1998 Jeep Cherokees.

The delivery men told the PKs they were to meet a Native purchaser of the Jeeps, but he never showed up. The vehicles (valued at more than $46,000 each) were subsequently swized pending further investigation.

Chief Peacekeeper Warren Lahache said this appears to be a classic case of tax fraud. He said the PKs have identified the dealer and delivery men, but the name of the supposed buyer in this case remains a mystery.

Lahache said the Native who was to receive the Jeeps could not be reached, and it is uncertain whether she has ever been a member of this community.

Lahache explained by saying in cases such as these, the dealer will be delivering a vehicle to a Native who doesn't know his or her name and number are being used. In other similar cases, the Native knows what is going on, but will not step forward because the PKs have intervened.

The problem of vehicular tax fraud was thought to have been squashed by the PKs in 1996, but Lahache said they have still noticed evidence of this illegal activity in 1997 and '98. PKs are prompting people to report any suspicions they may have of this type of fraud, as the criminal activities of a few individuals can be detrimental to our tax situation as a whole.

In a similar case, the $113,000 Porsche that was seized by PKs in April 1998 was eventually returned to the dealer by Revenue Quebec.

Lahache said the case was taken over by Revenue Quebec and was sent to Civil Court. Any penalties the Porsche dealer may have received is between Revenue Quebec and the dealer.

However, Lahache said the penalties handed down by Revenue Quebec (in Civil Court) are considered to be much stronger than any criminal proceedings. Lahache speculated the Porsche dealer was forced to buy the car back, in effect making him pay for it twice. Apparently the Crown had decided this is the best way to get to the ringleaders of these activities, and it's also a stronger deterrent against future attempts.

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MUC Morality Squad Nabs Fugitive
PKs retrieve Turtleshell robbery suspect
By: Dan Cross

On Monday, October 5, the Kahnawake Peacekeepers received a call from the MUC Police Morality Squad in Lasalle, informing them Wayne Whitebean was being held custody. Apparently the squad confirmed the PK warrant for Whitebean by use of the CRPQ telex.

Whitebean (36) had been wanted for the brutal armed robbery of the Turtleshell cigarette store in November 1995. Taken in the robbery was a cash register, its contents and boxes of tobacco.

According to previous reports, the store employee was struck on the head, robbed at gunpoint, and bound hand and offenses, etc.

Whitebean has a previous record and is well known to police. In 1986 he was convicted of home invasion, two counts of kidnapping and abduction, sexual assault, theft, breaking and entering and possession of tools for breaking and entering. These convictions were all for one event, and he received a sentence of seven years.

Before his bail hearing yesterday, prosecutors said they would ask for a $200 bond against Whitebean, and request several bail conditions including an order not to return to Kahnawake.

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Cuts To Social Assistance Offset By Family Allowance
By: Dan Cross

In a recent interview, Timmy Norton, Public Relations Officer for the MCK, said the recent lowering of Social Assistance checks (to recipients with children) was not an initiative of the MCK, but rather a federal government policy change.

"People are under the misconception that their Social Assistance checks were lowered by the MCK in order to send the Council up north last week," said Norton.

Others have said they believe it was done in order to build an addition to the Council Office. Norton said that simply isn't true.

Norton explained the Social Assistance cuts were from the federal government and part of the National Child Poverty Program, which simultaneously raised Family Allowance checks to low-income earners.

"The raise in Family Allowance checks counterbalances the lowering of Social Assistance checks," said Norton.

He explained this method as allowing recipients to receive more money during the month, when they are usually running low on funds.

"We received many calls on October 1, from people asking why their checks had been lowered," said Norton."But they had already been given notice beforehand."

Norton said the National Child Poverty Program lowers Family Allowance to parents with higher incomes, and raises it for those with lower incomes.

"For example," Norton explained, "Somebody making $40,000 a year doesn't need as much Family Allowance as somebody making $15,000."

According to Norton, the amount received also depends on the size of the family.

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Editorial

All in all, we should count our blessings
By: Kenneth Deer / Eastern Door

Sometimes it is a good idea to take a step back and take a long look at the situation we are in and compare it with other Peoples in the same situation.

I had the opportunity recently to visit two other Indigenous Peoples in totally different circumstances: the Saami of northern Finland and the Amis, Taiyal and other Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan.

They all have been colonized at one time or another. The Saami by Denmark, Sweden and Russia and the Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan by Japan and China.

The Saami live in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia and are the only Indigenous People in Western Europe. They used to live by reindeer herding and fishing but today only 10 percent of their population live this way. Like our history, their language and culture were banned in schools. They were forbidden to sing their songs or play their music.

In 1956, the Saami Council was formed which united the Saami in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Because of the Cold War, the Saami in Russia were out of contact. The Russians had forcibly removed the Saami from around the Russian border for security reasons. There are only 2,000 Saami remaining in the strategically important Kola Peninsula.

Since the seventies, the Saami language is taught in schools in Finland and other Nordic countries. In 1973, the Saami in Finland formed its own Saami Parliament which is recognized by the Finnish government. The Parliament represents the 7,000 Saami in Finland but has no legislative authority. It can only consult with the Finnish government on issues that affect the Saami. The Parliament does receive moneys from the government to operate and dispense funds for language, education and cultural activities.

The Saami in Norway founded its Parliament in 1989 and in Sweden in 1992.

While the Finnish government recognizes certain Indigenous rights of the Saami, the government is silent on the ownership of the lands that the Saami have occupied for centuries.

The Saami are still in the process of fighting for more control of the institutions that control their lives. They are in the majority in the sparsely populated north where the ratio of land to people is one person for every two square kilometers of land.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan. About 12 separate nations who share an island about the same size as the land of the Saami of Finland but with 21 million other people. Since most of the island is mountainous, the 21 million live along the coast. The Indigenous People, who are of Polynesian origin and not Chinese, were pushed from the coast into the mountains by the Chinese and Japanese. They were regarded as primitives and are still discriminated against.

Since the phasing out of Martial Law in 1988, the Indigenous Peoples have slowly gained some recognition. The new Taiwanese Constitution recognizes their existence and has created an Indigenous Council to take care of their concerns. However, the Indigenous People have no land base and are not protected from continuous encroachments by the Chinese majority.

The Amis and the other Nations have relied on construction work to sustain themselves. With a booming economy, work should be easy to find, but the Taiwanese government has allowed Malaysian and Philippine workers to enter the country and the construction firms would rather hire immigrants than the Indigenous People who live in Taiwan.

Unemployment is high and there is no social network like unemployment insurance or welfare. The indigenous Peoples are the poorest societies in Taiwan. Even the Indigenous arts and crafts are being taken over by the Chinese.

The new Indigenous Council, the equivalent of our Indian Affairs Department, is small and still in development. It is trying to develop tourism in the hill side villages and protect the Peoples from assimilation.

The legislative assembly has set aside six seats for Indigenous candidates in the next election this December.

Their languages are on the verge of extinction. Only the older generation can speak their language and the young people cannot. The older generation actually speak Japanese because they were educated while under Japanese occupation. They now speak their own Indigenous language, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.

Fighting for their rights is a new experience for them. Under Martial Law, a virtual dictatorship, they had no recourse to find justice. Today, they are still trying to understand the mechanics of democracy in the larger society. With no reserves to protect their land base and society, they relay on their close knit villages and extended family for survival.

Compared to these two examples of Indigenous Peoples elsewhere in the world, we Mohawks have a lot more control of our lives and the institutions that affect us. The Saami of Finland and the Amis of Taiwan can only dream of the control that we have. This is not to say that we should be complacent with our present situation. Not at all. But it is important at times to look at others so we can take measure the conditions that we live in and take stock or our accomplishments.

We shouldn't brag too much about ourselves nor should we whine too loudly.

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