From: The Montreal Gazette
Sale of tobacco employs an estimated 2,000 of 8,000 residents of reserve
By Christopher Curtis
Kahnawake’s Mohawk council will try to regulate the multi-million-dollar aboriginal cigarette trade within its borders after signing a groundbreaking deal Tuesday with the reserve’s tobacco vendors.
The agreement stipulates that both parties will work with community members to draft a law governing the sale of aboriginal tobacco on the South Shore territory.
Kahnawake’s tobacco vendors have resisted previous attempts at regulation. But now it appears the pressure of a renewed government crackdown on the industry has created a willingness to accept some form of oversight. In June, Bill C-10 — which would impose mandatory minimum sentences on people caught smuggling aboriginal cigarettes off-reserve — entered its second reading in the Senate and it could become law before the end of the year.
“We’ve been talking about regulation for years but (Bill C-10) helped speed things up,” said Joe Delaronde, spokesperson for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. “In order for us to defend the industry, it has to be regulated. This isn’t a slam dunk by any means. But it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
