Open Letter on UNDRIP
Written by Jeremy Zafran on 23 June 2023
An Open Letter has been sent to Justice Minister David Lametti regarding Canada’s draft federal action plan for the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) saying that the letter, which was sent to Minister Lametti on June 2nd, 2023, contained information, comments and feedback from community members who attended two special meetings hosted by the MCK on May 23rd and 24th. Ratsénhaienhs Ross Montour declaring that:
“The letter contained key findings, recommendations and suggested changes to the wording contained within Canada’s draft UNDRIP plan and while the MCK was forced to work under extremely tight ‘consultation’ timelines to gather this information, we made every effort to ensure the community’s voice was heard.”
The comments and suggested changes listed in the open letter were gathered from those two special meetings and were compiled into a report. That report will be made public at a later date. This past Wednesday, Ottawa unveiled its UNDRIP action plan in the House of Commons and the MCK is in the process of reviewing the revised document to ensure Kahnawà:ke’s comments and concerns were included. To date, the MCK has yet to receive a formal response from Minister Lametti’s office.
