hay cep qa’ for learning more and for leading Snuneymuxw’s Membership Code process.
Join us at our hybrid Community Information Sessions:
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
In person
Location: Snuneymuxw Gym, 1145 Totem Road, Nanaimo
Meal: 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Presentation: 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Online
Location: Zoom
Presentation: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86254967065?pwd=WcbO6X7NOJRWlJqWGSaRyfesPJbxqk.1
Meeting ID: 862 5496 7065
Passcode: 8^F.Bb.
Wednesday, October 7
In person
Location: Snuneymuxw Gym, 1145 Totem Road, Nanaimo
Meal: 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Presentation: 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Online
Location: Zoom
Presentation: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82001630685?pwd=hsrAiajpyqxAHo6heaM4MDALUhtTSJ.1
Meeting ID: 820 0163 0685 Passcode: *0LPqv$
Membership Code restores Snuneymuxw authority to decide who is, and isn’t, a member of the Nation.
“A Snuneymuxw Membership Code will restore our Nation’s authority to define our membership in ways that are true to us, now and into the future. When we have the authority to determine who our members are, we help ensure decisions are made by our People, strengthened by our snawaylth and our responsibilities under the Sacred Trust.” – Chief Mike Wyse, Xum’silum
When we have the authority to determine who our members are, we help ensure decisions are made by our People, strengthened by our snawaylth and our responsibilities under the Sacred Trust.
Currently, Snuneymuxw’s membership list is managed by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), based on the Indian Act. ISC’s rules and processes do not align with our beliefs, values and traditional laws.
Under ISC, people can be added to, or excluded from, Snuneymuxw’s membership list without the knowledge or consent of Snuneymuxw. This may include individuals who have no direct ties or lineage to Snuneymuxw. There may also be future descendants who are not included on Snuneymuxw’s membership list because Canada does not recognize their connection to our Nation.
Membership Code upholds the x̌e’x̌e’ qwelstuxw (Sacred Trust).
Since the first families, Snuneymuxw People have created systems of belonging grounded in love, respect, emotional intelligence, collective wellbeing, and sacred responsibility to one another as real relatives. These systems were nurtured through family, community, ceremony, shared responsibility, and our interconnected relationships with, and responsibilities to the lands, waters, and all living beings surrounding us.
When we have the authority to determine who our members are, we help ensure decisions are made by our People, strengthened by our snawaylth, our responsibilities under the Sacred Trust, and the Snuneymuxw Sarlequun Treaty of 1854. This includes who has a right and responsibility to vote in Snuneymuxw governance decisions, to run for Council, to live on Snuneymuxw Land and to receive benefits from the Nation.
The Snuneymuxw Membership Code focuses on carrying teachings forward in ways that restore trust, strengthen families, honour women and future generations, and rebuild the sacred relationships sustaining our people across generations.
The Snuneymuxw Membership Code work before us becomes more than policy; it is a part of a larger journey of healing, restoration and strengthening who we are as a people.
“We seek to restore deep respect for the Land and all living things, a responsibility that has always been ours. The Elders referred to this responsibility as the Sacred Trust. It is about developing a relationship with and responsibility for the environment, taking adaptive actions through a relational lens, and fostering connections with other communities and the more-than-human world. It means learning to share our gifts so that knowledge can take root in the minds and hearts of others.” – Former Snuneymuxw Chief, Jerry Brown
When we introduce ourselves as members of Snuneymuxw, we do so by honouring our Ancestors. We say “This was my grandfather” or “My mother is.” Knowing where we come from helps us understand who we are.
Colonial policies and generations of displacement have impacted how many people experience their connection to our Nation and community today. Over time, colonial systems introduced external definitions of identity, belonging, leadership, and governance that did not emerge from our own teachings or systems of relationship.
Many of these systems reduced living systems of belonging into administrative categories, codes, regulations, and membership structures that often failed to reflect our deeper understandings of family, responsibility, and collective care.
In particular, many women, children, and families experienced profound hurt, separation, rejection, and loss as these imposed systems disrupted sacred relationships carried across generations.
The Membership Code process creates space for respectful dialogue, learning and community input as we work together to define membership in a way that honours our teachings, responsibilities, histories and shared future.
By creating a Snuneymuxw Membership Code, we have the opportunity to honour our matriarchs, Elders and Ancestors who had their membership taken away.
The Snuneymuxw Elders play a critical role in guiding the development of the Snuneymuxw Membership Code through our Elders Advisory Committee and Monarch Advisory.
The material and agenda items for discussion with Snuneymuxw Families has been reviewed and informed by Snuneymuxw Elders. Their knowledge of Snuneymuxw families, relationships, responsibilities and ways of being are crucial as we develop a Membership Code that is true to Snuneymuxw.
The Snuneymuxw Membership Code will only remove Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) control over who is recognized as a Snuneymuxw member. Canada will manage Indian Status and Indian Status cards. The Snuneymuxw Membership Code does not change who is and is not eligible for Indian Status under the Indian Act, the issuance of Indian Status cards by ISC, and does not affect any benefits received under the Indian Act. Current and future Snuneymuxw members will still be able to hold Indian Status and will be issued Indian Status cards if they qualify under the Indian Act.
The Membership Code sets out the membership criteria and the process for applying to become a Member of Snuneymuxw First Nation in accordance with established Snuneymuxw laws and protocols.
The Membership Code gives Snuneymuxw the authority to take jurisdiction over the membership list from Indigenous Services Canada and to determine who is and isn’t eligible to be a Snuneymuxw member, in accordance with Snuneymuxw laws, jurisdiction and inherent rights.
It does not change who is and is not eligible for Indian status under the Indian Act and does not affect any benefits granted under the Indian Act. It also does not allow us to exclude anyone from our membership list who was already on it before the Membership Code came into effect.
he Snuneymuxw Membership Code will not change who is entitled to Indian status under the Indian Act. It will only change who is and isn’t eligible to become a member. Under the Membership Code, being a Snuneymuxw member will not be the same as having Indian status. To become a member, someone will need to have Indian status, but having Indian status and affiliation with Snuneymuxw will not guarantee membership.
We have an interim Membership Policy that applies only to transfers from other First Nations. The Snuneymuxw Membership Code will allow Snuneymuxw to self-determine who is and is not a Snuneymuxw member. This is fundamental in the assertion of the inherent right of self-government and jurisdiction, as well as the ability to allocate and protect our resources for current and future generations of Snuneymuxw.
The Snuneymuxw Membership Code affects all current members, future members and descendants. Anyone currently on our Membership list managed by Indigenous Services Canada will be moved to the list managed by the Nation. All future members and descendants of current members will only be added to the membership list in accordance with the new Snuneymuxw Membership Code.
As membership is an important part of all self-government initiatives, every current member and future member is potentially impacted.
Where are we in the process of developing the Snuneymuxw Membership Code?
Answer: We have had meetings with Council and the Elders and Matriarch Committee to receive direction on the Snuneymuxw Membership Code. The Membership Code has not been finalized and we are still in the early phase of development. The following FAQs may evolve through engagement with Council, Elders and Matriarchs and the community.
Members should understand who is and isn’t eligible to become a member, how membership applications will be decided, what rights and responsibilities new Snuneymuxw members will have and how our laws and protocols will be reflected in the Membership Code.
At this time, the membership list is managed by Indigenous Services Canada. Currently, we do not have a say in the addition of most new members to the membership list.
After the Snuneymuxw Membership Code is ratified, it will be overseen by the Snuneymuxw Membership Department, the Governance Committee, Elders and Matriarchs, and Chief and Council. We do not currently have a Membership Code, so we do not control who is added to the membership list, except for individuals who apply to transfer from another First Nation. The Membership Code will allow us to control who is added to the Snuneymuxw membership list and to include criteria for membership applications and transfers.
The Membership Code establishes our jurisdiction over membership decisions. It sets out the criteria for membership eligibility and may include different categories of members. Membership Code will also outline the process for determining membership applications, removals and appeals.
This will not change who is and is not currently a member, but it will change who is eligible to become a member in the future. New members will have to apply to Snuneymuxw to become members, and this will be determined by the Nation under the Snuneymuxw Membership Code with considerations such as ancestry, connection to our language and culture, custom adoptions, etc. It will not affect Indian status under the Indian Act.
Yes. There may be people who become newly eligible to be recognized as members under the Snuneymuxw Membership Code. There will also be a process for removing members in certain circumstances.
The Membership Code will include a process for resolving disputes about membership decisions, including review by the Elders Council and an appeal process. Note: this has not yet been finalized.
Membership applications will undergo a thorough review process that involves administration, the Governance Committee, Elders and Matriarchs, and Chief and Council to ensure that our laws are followed and that decisions are made only after a complete review.
The Snuneymuxw Membership Code may provide specific criteria to recognize spouses and adopted children of members, and for the rights granted to adopted children and spouses.
No. A requirement of enacting a Membership Code is that everyone on the membership list currently maintained by ISC will be transferred to the Snuneymuxw Membership Code. After the Membership Code is enacted, people will only be added to the list in accordance with Snuneymuxw’s Membership Code. The Snuneymuxw Membership Code may also provide for removal of membership in certain circumstances.
We are exercising full jurisdiction over membership decisions, now and into the future, in accordance with Snuneymuxw’s inherent rights, laws and legal orders. Who is a member is directly connected to who has a right to vote in our governance matters, to run for Council, to live on our lands and to receive benefits from the Nation.
Without a Membership Code, the Snuneymuxw membership list will continue to be managed by Indigenous Services Canada, and people will continue to be added to or excluded from the membership list without our free, prior and informed consent. This may include individuals who have no direct ties or lineage to Snuneymuxw, and those whom we do not know due to historical dislocation and displacement. Without a Membership Code, there is no formal process for knowing these individuals and to bring them into our Nation in accordance with Snuneymuxw processes and laws.
Deciding who belongs to Snuneymuxw is a fundamental part of self-government, as membership is directly tied to almost every aspect of governance for the Nation. The Membership Code will ensure we can self-determine who is a member without any dependence on how that is defined in the Indian Act.
Both the Membership Code and the Land Code are areas of jurisdiction that we are moving into and key steps in the exercise of self-determination and self-government. Members (current or future) will be the ones to vote on the Land Code, and laws that are passed under the Land Code will apply to those that are recognized as members.
No, the Membership Code and Land Code are complementary. Each is an exercise of Snuneymuxw’s jurisdiction in a different area, and one does not depend on the other moving forward.
The Membership Code creates a Snuneymuxw process for determining who becomes a member in the future. It does not remove people who are already on the existing membership list maintained by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), and it does not change anyone’s eligibility for Indian status. Once the Membership Code is approved, any future decisions about adding or removing members will be made according to the rules set out in the Code.
The Membership Code will not change who is entitled to Indian status under the Indian Act. It will only change who is and isn’t eligible to become a member. Under the Membership Code, being a Snuneymuxw member will not be the same as having Indian status. To become a member, someone will need to have Indian status, but having Indian status and affiliation with us will not guarantee membership with the Nation.
Membership Code will not change how Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) issues status cards. Individuals will need to apply for Snuneymuxw membership and Indian Act status separately.
USA recognition of Canadian Indian status is based on the Jay Treaty, and is at the sole discretion of USA Customs to recognize. The Jay Treaty allows Canadian First Nations with at least 50% American Indian blood (from Canada or the USA) to cross the border, and to live, work and study in the USA. Sometimes USA Customs will accept Indian Status cards from ISC without further proof. However, USA Customs may require proof that someone has at least 50% blood quantum to cross under the Jay Treaty. To demonstrate this, members can request a letter of ancestry from ISC, which will identify their First Nations’ ancestors in Canada. Because ISC does not use blood quantum, additional evidence, such as a blood quantum letter, may be required.
