Muskoday chief and council propose banishment law
Muskoday is seeking to become one of the first First Nations communities in Canada to enact a trespass, exclusion and banishment law.
Typically chief and council use a Band Council Resolution (BCR) to remove individuals who pose a threat to the community, but a BCR holds no true legal power.
“Sixty years ago we didn’t need this law because people looked after and cared for one another. That’s not the way it is anymore,” Chief Austin Bear said. “The world has changed, our people have changed, our community has changed.”
Bear said in the last six months, five non-band members have received a BCR asking them to permanently leave Muskoday.