Indigenous Services confirms departure from Kahnawake 

One of the worst-kept secrets was finally confirmed: Community members will have to go to downtown Montreal to receive new band cards as of 2025, with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) putting up the white flag and leaving town.

The Eastern Door broke the story in February, when we reported on ISC’s imminent departure for office space in the Guy Favreau building, 15-20 minutes from its current location across from the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre. This change will surely create delays, parking issues and traffic woes as Kahnawa’kehró:non will have to deal with the added burden of not having such a vital service in town.

Overall, services have dwindled over the years at the white building, as lands and estates departed the crumbling, mould-infested edifice just off the St. Lawrence Seaway, and only a handful of employees remained.

“I’m still disgusted with the band for not putting up any kind of fight,” said a source close to the situation, who requested anonymity out of fear of professional repercussions. “I truly feel bad for the community. I guess they will be bussing the elders to the city!”

Even the non-local security guard, who lives on the South Shore and was installed after an incident scared staff, isn’t keen to move to the city.
Community members are mixed, with some saying, “It’s about time,” while others realize how much of a burden it will now be to obtain information directly and secure new status cards easily.

“We finally had convenience for all and just like everything good around here, it’s stripped away,” said community member Satehoronies.

It is not completely clear what prompted the move, but with a decrepit building, and ISC’s move to merge services into the Guy Favreau Complex to streamline and save money - according to Mohawk Council of Kahnawake chief Iohahiio Delisle - mixed with having Canada in its backyard for what amounted to too long for some, the eventual departure next year was inevitable.

“They’re trying to save money, they’re saying that the rent, various things to occupy space, is becoming problematic,” said Delisle. “So, they want to regionalize the services. We’re still looking at ways to keep the service here in the community.”

Regardless, Canada should pay, Delisle said, and even if they physically leave, services related to status cards and any other pertinent things currently provided by ISC should continue locally.

Interruption of ISC services for those on the Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawake Registry (KKR) is a priority to address for the MCK, according to Delisle, who said they are currently looking at options such as having services located at the MCK, but only for those on the KKR. Everyone else would have to go to the city, and with roughly 4,500 people who aren’t on the KKR, but have a Kahnawake band card, this will pose problems, especially if they don’t have access to a vehicle, are handicapped, elderly, or living on a fixed income.

But that’s only if the MCK finds a way to duplicate services. Otherwise, everyone, including KKR members, will have to go downtown for new status cards.

Although staff were told about the move in November of 2023 with sparse information, the sign posted on ISC’s door clearly announcing the move was only erected recently, almost a year later, and roughly eight months after the original story in The Eastern Door.

It is unclear what type of income tax implications there will be for employees who go along with the move, but some fear having to pay tax if they work most of their time in the city.

Delisle said he doesn’t “support taking away the service from the elders, especially KKR members,” but also has big issues with the Crown in a building on Kanien’kehá:ka territory, which comes with long-standing jurisdictional arguments.

The bigger issue, he said, will be the data ISC currently collects and stores on community members, which the MCK has access to right now, but will lose access to once the building is demolished and ISC moves downtown, according to Delisle.

ISC wasn’t interested in other buildings to replace the old, run-down one they are currently renting from the MCK, because they wanted to move no matter what, said Delisle, and with a Council not willing to fight to keep a colonial institute here, its demise was only a matter of time.

“People won’t want to go to the city, to take public transportation, or deal with the language barrier,” said the anonymous source. “I think it will be a big loss for the community and none of the chiefs are fighting for it.”

This article has been updated with the text below, published October 11, to reflect new developments and a response from ISC that came only after deadline.

Indigenous services responds

The Eastern Door reported last week on Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) finally going public about moving from the white building across from the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre to the Guy Favreau Complex in the city, but we only received comment directly from ISC after we went to print. 

In a statement from ISC media relations, signed by Eric Head, ISC said “Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) has made the decision to relocate its service centre from Kahnawake to Montreal for registration services under the Indian Act and status cards in early 2025. This decision aims to not only maintain high and accessible service levels for all Indigenous communities, but also to facilitate access (to) the department's services for a larger Indigenous population, including vulnerable clients in urban areas.”

In February, when The Eastern Door broke the story about the move, ISC didn’t publicly admit it was moving, and neither did the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK), even though employees were informed in November 2023. 

But ISC has since changed its tune and even erected a poster on its doors to announce the move in 2025.

“The Department acknowledges that this relocation will entail adjustments to access to registration services and status card applications for Kahnawake community members. As such, ISC is working in partnership with community representatives and remains attentive to its employees and work closely with them to ease the transition to their new workplace,” the statement says.

To make matters worse, the MCK announced, “The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) has been informed by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) that a temporary closure of its Kahnawà:ke office has been issued due to safety concerns regarding the building′s structural integrity,” in a press release.

In it, the release acknowledges the disrepair of the building along with safety issues, quoting an unnamed ISC source as saying, “Until we can ensure that the building is safe for employees and members coming in, we are closing as a precautionary measure.”

The MCK’s Asset Management Unit is looking into the situation, and Council grand chief Cody Diabo said they are looking into temporary hosting of ISC’s vital services, most notably renewing status cards.

Although it’s unclear what kind of remedy is forthcoming to replace those services once they are gone completely, especially for those who aren’t on the Kahnawake Kanien’kehá:ka Registry (who would be left with no choice but to find a way to the city for new band cards), Mohawk Council of Kahnawake chief Iohahiio Delisle said that the issue is being discussed at the council table.

“ISC is aware that the relocation of the service centre may also affect the routines of Kahnawake community members. As with other communities in Quebec, members of the Kahnawake community will continue to have access to registration services and status cards through their local Indian Registration Administrators (IRAs),” according to the statement.

“Members can also submit their applications by mail. Kahnawake community members who need information regarding registration services and status cards are encouraged to contact the ISC Quebec regional office by phone (1-800-263-5592) or by email ([email protected]) to receive a response within 24 to 72 hours,” it concluded.

[email protected]