Membership

Membership History

The Antoine Nation is traditionally comprised of five core families together with other relations. Approximately half of Antoine Nation Members today reside within the core territory of the Antoine Nation, with the other Members living and working beyond those boundaries, but many of whom frequently return to the territory to reconnect with the land and families.

Membership Today

Today the Antoine Nation maintains its own list of Members, which numbers approximately 450 Members not including children and youths under 18 years of age.

Under the envisaged Final Agreement once Algonquins of Ontario Treaty negotiations are concluded, those Members qualifying under the eligibility and enrolment criteria of the Treaty would become beneficiaries of the Treaty. However, Antoine Nation membership is independent of potential Treaty eligibility and enrolment and will continue in force regardless of whether a Treaty is ever concluded.

Applying for Membership

Those with ties to the Antoine Nation are encouraged to contact its government for more information about eligibility criteria for Membership, and to apply for Membership if it appears you would meet the eligibility criteria. Your Membership application will be carefully reviewed by the Antoine Nation, you may be asked for additional information, and you will be informed in writing within a reasonable time as to whether or not you qualify for Membership in the Antoine Nation.

Membership Cards

The Antoine Nation issues Membership Card to certified Members, for the very limited purposes of:

  • identifying the individual as a confirmed Member of the Antoine Nation;

  • to present to Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources officials in the context of exercising the constitutionally protected s. 35 Constitution Act, 1982 Aboriginal collective harvesting rights of the Antoine Nation, as exercised by individual Members.

It is important to note that Antoine Nation Membership Cards:

  • DO NOT confirm Indian Status pursuant to the Indian Act - only Government of Canada-issued cards confirm Indian Status;

  • DO NOT confirm any type of exemption from the payment of sales taxes to provincial or federal governments.