It was a long and busy Monday in the Lower Kootenay Band’s boardroom, with more than 90 attending and walking away with a new photo identification card.
The machine-readable cards are a Certificate of Indian Status and are intended to simplify and speed up the carrier’s movement back and forth across the Canada-US border.
Chief Jason Louie said the Lower Kootenay Band is one of three First Nations communities in Canada to be selected as part of a pilot program for the new cards. More than two years of planning have gone into the pilot, with First Nations people working with representatives from the Canadian Border Services Agency and US Customs and Border Protection personnel, along with Indigenous Services Canada.
Louie said that the Lower Kootenay Band has close ties with bands in the US and that the pilot program acknowledges those historical connections.
“We have had challenges crossing the border for as long as I can remember,” he said. “When I was young not everyone had IDs, some having been born in teepees or cabins. They had no documents of any kind.”
The issue intensified after 9/11 when passports became requirements for all visitors to enter the US.
“The requirements for passports are not easy, and lots of circumstances can contribute to not getting one. Think about a family with four or more children that is already living a difficult life—the cost of passport photos and passports is a challenge.”
He said that several years ago he asked Indigenous Services Canada to have a “remote Status Card day” to make it easier for Ktunaxa people to get their Certificate of Indian Status cards. That request led to a registration day in Cranbrook two years ago. Ninety applicants got their cards on that day.
But those cards were not scannable by border personnel, who had to manually enter the information into computers.
Melinda Medland, a Canadian Border Services Agency representative said that the new cards were created “with a goal to speed up processing at the border.”
“Typing the info from documents makes for frustrating waits,” she said. “These scannable cards use the same technology as passports and driver’s licenses. They are a great innovation.”
“In January we got word from Indigenous Services that the Lower Kootenay Band was one of three First Nations selected for this pilot program, and it as taken a real team effort to get this day organized,” he said. “We have worked especially closely with Jeff Lisius, from the US Border Customs and Border Protection, and Melinda on the Canadian side.”
Volunteers from the LKB community have worked to contact as many Lower Kootenay Band members as possible, reaching out to people in Vancouver, Seattle, and Alberta, making them aware of the new card and Monday’s sign-up event.
“Their existing cards are still valid, but the new one makes it much easier to cross the border in both directions,” Louie said. “This is very empowering for indigenous people, and the US and Canada customs people have been very respectful.”
“The Status Card can be a symbol of repression—this is trying to change that stereotype. I see this as a victory, but there is still a lot of work ahead.
“We want to be good neighbours and we appreciate the support of people like Melinda.”
“To be part of this pilot puts the Lower Kootenay Band on the national map, in a positive way. This is a good day for us.”
