LIA is continuously updating its membership files. Members are requested to provide their current address so that information, notices or ballots can be delivered as necessary. Your cooperation is appreciated.

AGM Resolution Passed: LIA Provides Clarity on Membership

A resolution was passed at the 2004 AGM to amend the LIA membership bylaw to be consistent with and to reflect the eligibility provisions of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement.

An interim Enrolment Committee, comprised of directors of LIA's board, will be appointed to deal with outstanding and new applications for membership until the land claims agreement comes into effect. The revised membership bylaws will apply the agreement's provisions for eligibility and enrolment.

There are a number of applications for membership awaiting review that, along with any new applications, will be reviewed with the new criteria in mind. President Andersen and LIA's board of directors committed to providing clarity to all current and potential members of the Association. Membership and eligibility for benefits is an important issue, especially for people in the Upper Lake Melville region, Cartwright and Rigolet.

In general, the Interim Committee will determine a person to be eligible as a beneficiary if he or she is:

• An Inuk pursuant to Inuit customs and traditions and is of Inuit ancestry, or is a Kabluangajuk; and is either
• A permanent resident of the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area; or
• A permanent resident of a place outside the intended Settlement Area but connected to a community in the Settlement Area by birth, ancestry or kinship ties as defined in the Agreement.

A copy of the full resolution to amend the LIA membership bylaw is available at all LIA offices, amendments included:

• Revised definitions of Inuit, Inuk, Kablunangajuk and permanent residents;
• Expansion on what constitutes being born in the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Area and the impact of having a full sibling connected to the area;
• Requirement for members who are minors to reapply for membership when they reach the age of the majority; and
• Details of the process of removing a name from the membership list.

When the Agreement comes into effect, the Nunatsiavut Government will be generally responsible for co-coordinating enrolment. There will be measures to ensure that the enrolment process is fair and inclusive. Enrolment Committees will be set up in Nain; Hopedale; Makkovik and Postville; and Rigolet and Lake Melville. Each committee will have three to six members. Committee members will be Inuit or Kablunangajuit, and at least one must be a permanent resident of a place outside the Settlement Area. Each Committee will be responsible for compiling a preliminary list of beneficiaries and delivering that list to the Nunatsiavut Government. There will be an Enrolment Appeal Commission. The Nunatsiavut Government will publish a register of beneficiaries. From that time on, the register must be updated at least once a year. Once the register is in place, the Enrolment Committees will be dissolved. However, to ensure that enrolment is updated and runs smoothly, a Membership Committee will be established in each region and a Labrador Inuit Membership Appeal Board will be established.

For information on membership criteria please contact us at the address below.

Membership Clerk Labrador Inuit Association P.O. Box 70 Nain, NL  AOP 1LO

Tel.: (709) 922-2942 Fax: (709) 922-2931 Email the membership clerk