Psst...You want a Cigarette?
There is currently a standoff happening in Caledonia, Ontario, where Aborginal groups are protesting the legality of a construction site. You can read about it here:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/news/national/2006/04/20/caledonia-protest060420.html
Things are getting pretty tense, and I don’t want to even touch on that right now. Instead I want to talk about cigarettes. CBC news did a story about the Mohawk community involved in the land dispute, but focused on their thriving cigarette trade. They make and sell their own cigarettes. This is technically illegal, because they refuse to incorporate Canadian taxes on the smokes. They claim that their cigarettes don’t fall under Canadian law, because the processing of tobacco is an inalienable right. As in hunting and fishing, tobacco processing is part of their culture.
This is genius, if you ask me. I can understand the logic behind this, regardless of the motivation. The courts have allowed Aboriginals the right to hunt and fish because they are traditional activities; why isn’t cigarette production the same thing?
What I found impressive was how the tobacco trade has shaped the Mohawk community. According to the story, unemployment is fairly low, and tobacco money has been used to fund community programs such as childcare and helping out the elderly. In essence, they have circumvented the need to rely on welfare or other government programs. People who think Aboriginals are just mooches should see this initiative as a positive. However, the Canadian government is pushing for this practice to end, and it will become a legal battle sooner or later. I don’t know about the legality of it, but I have to respect the ingenuity.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/news/national/2006/04/20/caledonia-protest060420.html
Things are getting pretty tense, and I don’t want to even touch on that right now. Instead I want to talk about cigarettes. CBC news did a story about the Mohawk community involved in the land dispute, but focused on their thriving cigarette trade. They make and sell their own cigarettes. This is technically illegal, because they refuse to incorporate Canadian taxes on the smokes. They claim that their cigarettes don’t fall under Canadian law, because the processing of tobacco is an inalienable right. As in hunting and fishing, tobacco processing is part of their culture.
This is genius, if you ask me. I can understand the logic behind this, regardless of the motivation. The courts have allowed Aboriginals the right to hunt and fish because they are traditional activities; why isn’t cigarette production the same thing?
What I found impressive was how the tobacco trade has shaped the Mohawk community. According to the story, unemployment is fairly low, and tobacco money has been used to fund community programs such as childcare and helping out the elderly. In essence, they have circumvented the need to rely on welfare or other government programs. People who think Aboriginals are just mooches should see this initiative as a positive. However, the Canadian government is pushing for this practice to end, and it will become a legal battle sooner or later. I don’t know about the legality of it, but I have to respect the ingenuity.
posted by Kris at 12:58 AM
2 Comments:
I completely agree with you, this is an excellent oppportunity to encourage a self-sustaining economy on a reserve. However, I'm sure it will not be allowed to continue for long, as people with begin to protest the use *evil* cigarettes to support a community.
Yes, and health concerns were acknowledged in the piece, by both the reporter and the Mohawk community. Their answer is "the government makes money off of it, so why can't we." This reminds me of an ant-smoking commercial a saw recently, in which they urged young Natives not to smoke because tobacco is sacred and shouldn't be abused. I think that approach was genius, too.
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