ANNOUNCEMENT: QALIPU UPDATED MEMBERSHIP

Posted by Qalipu on
A newspaper with the headline Important announcement

New Membership List

We wish to advise our membership that the updated Membership List has now been provided to us by INAC.  There are 22,251 members on this list which reflects the current membership in the Qalipu First Nation.

Removals from Indian Register

On August 31, 2018 individuals who did not meet the criteria for founding membership had their names deleted from the Indian Register.

Of the 10,400 individuals who were removed from the Founding Members list:

  • 7,658 individuals have been removed from the Indian Register

If you were removed, a letter from the Indian Register dated August 31, 2018 was sent to you advising of the deletion of your name from the Indian Register, which means:

  • You have lost your Indian Status
  • You are no longer eligible for services and benefits available to registered Indians
  • Your Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) card is no longer valid

Category Amendments in the Indian Register

2,742 individuals who were notified they were not eligible for Founding Membership have maintained registration via an automatic category amendment if they were card holders with a parent on the updated Founding Members list.   The letter dated August 31, 2018 confirms:

  • You have retained your registered Indian Status under a different provision of the Indian Act
  • You remain eligible for services and benefits available to registered Indians
  • Your Secure Certificate of Indian Status card remains valid

Letters Mailed on August 31, 2018

Letters regarding removals from the register and category amendments were mailed on August 31, 2018.  Individuals who remained on the updated Founding Members List will not receive confirmation in writing of such.

If you do not receive your letter by September 14, please contact the INAC Qalipu line at 1-800-561-2266 and let them know.

Protesting the Decision

If you do not agree with the decision rendered in your letter, you can submit a protest.  Protests must be submitted within three (3) years of the date of your decision letter.  The notice of protest must be submitted in writing to the Indian Registrar:

Protest Unit
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
10, rue Wellington
Gatineau, QC
K1A 0H4

It is the responsibility of the protester to firmly establish the grounds on which their protest is based and must clearly indicate how they believe the Indian Act was misinterpreted, or what evidence they believe the Registrar overlooked in reaching the decision.

The Registrar will not consider protests if there is no clear indication that the registration provisions of the Indian Act were incorrectly applied or interpreted.

Please see the protest page on the department website for more information.

Address Change-Instructions

If your address has changed, please call the INAC Qalipu Line at 1-800-561-2266.  You can also send a signed letter by fax to 1-204-984-3032.  Make sure to include:

  • Your full name
  • Your date of birth
  • Your registration number or file number from INAC, if available (found at the upper-right corner of a letter from the Enrolment Committee)
  • Your previous and new mailing address
  • The effective date of your address change
  • Phone number
  • Any other information you would like to update (e.g., name, gender, marital status, typos etc.)

New Members-Additions to the Indian Register

5,096 new Founding Members were added to the Indian Registry.  Letters regarding new membership were mailed on July 31, 2018.

All new members will be added to the ginu membership database in the near future. We will notify you when this has been completed.

Please see below for information on applying for you Secure Certificate of Indian Status.

Children of Founding Members

Children of Founding Members are eligible to apply for Indian Status under the Indian Act.

Please note, if you were registered previously and your parent remains a Founding Member, you will not have to reapply.  You will automatically receive a category amendment and maintain your active Indian Status under a different provision of the Indian Act.  Letters regarding category amendments were mailed on August 31, 2018.

Applying for your Card (Secure Certificate of Indian Status, or SCIS)

The application forms can be found on the INAC website here: https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1462806841047/1462806896945

You may also seek assistance at any of our office locations by calling the Indian Registration Administrator Charmaine Bath (appointments in Glenwood and Grand Falls-Windsor offices), or SCIS Clerk Jody Davis (Corner Brook, St. George’s and Stephenville Offices).

Charmaine Bath: cbath@qalipu.ca or call (709) 679-2142, toll free (NL only) 1-855-263-6440

Jody Davis: jdavis@qalipu.ca or call (709) 634-4010

Please Note: We are experiencing a high demand for the application of SCIS cards.  For instance, appointment times in Corner Brook, Stephenville and St. George’s are booked up through September, and we are making appointments for October.

We kindly ask that callers not leave more than one voicemail and be patient as Charmaine and Jody make their way through hundreds of voicemails and return your call.

Remember, you do not need your card to access services and benefits.  Your letter confirming registration can be used for up to 12 months from the date that it was issued.

Electors List

We have used the updated membership list to generate our electors list for the upcoming Qalipu election.  If you are or will be 18 on the date of the election (October 23, 2018), you are a new member, a member who received a category amendment or a continuing Founding Member, you are eligible to vote in the election.

It is possible that some errors could have occurred with a large membership list, and with category amendments.  Please let us know if you feel your name should be on the voters list but isn’t.

We are working on adding Wards to the Electors List so that members can confirm they are listed in the correct Electoral Ward.  If you are not listed in the correct Electoral Ward, we can update that before the election.  We will post the Electors List with Wards added in the near future.

Email the Electoral Officer at election@qalipu.ca

Find the Elector’s List here: https://qalipu.ca/qalipu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Voters-List.pdf