AKWESASNE ACCEPTS NEW FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION LAW
On Saturday, August 24, 2019, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne held a Special General Meeting in order for its membership to vote on the following question:
Do you approve the Akwesasne Financial Administration Law?
Following the secret ballot voting period, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Leona Benedict confirmed the following results:
- 79 Yes Votes
- 2 No Votes
Immediately following the CEO’s announcement, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne passed a resolution accepting the results and formally enacting the Akwesasne Financial Administration Law.
“Moving forward, the AFAL will allow us to have the structure and written guidelines needed to effectively manage the operations of the MCA organization with the bar for transparency set very high,” said MCA Executive Director Heather Phillips. “We are thankful for the community’s participation and direction.”
Akwesasne Financial Administration Law Background
In 2013, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne established a working task group to develop an Akwesasne Financial Administration Law. This working task group met diligently and developed a law that showed strong financial administration that meets established accounting standards.
Mohawk Council Resolution 2016/2017-#224 accepted the proposed Akwesasne Financial Administration Law dated September 21, 2016 and directed the Akwesasne Justice Department to conduct Phase III of the Akwesasne Legislative Enactment Regulation.
In February 2019, the Akwesasne Justice Department began conducting community consultation through Information Meetings and accepting written submissions through April 2019. Comments from the consultation process were summarized, discussed and the agreed upon changes were incorporated into a new draft of the Akwesasne Financial Administration Law dated June 7, 2019.
On June 13, 2019 the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne accepted the Akwesasne Financial Administration Law in principle for community enactment by way of a secret ballot vote at a Special General Meeting. Community Notice was provided that the Special General Meeting would occur on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.
This MCR Submission accepts the final results of the secret ballot vote at the Special General Meeting as being approved. The resolution establishes the enactment date of the law as the date the resolution is administered, with the coming into force date effective January 1, 2020. This will provide time for administration to develop the required policies, regulations, and procedures needed to administer the law. The Akwesasne Financial Administration Law will also be registered in the Akwesasne Law Registry and be posted on the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne website.