Meeting Between MCK and Indigenous Affairs Minister Focuses on Land Claims

A meeting between Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer and Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Affairs Carolyn Bennett was held virtually on Monday afternoon. “It was just intended to be an introductory meeting between myself and the Minister. I did include a couple of members of the council, including Chief Mike Delisle ad Chief Ross Montour as they have been actively involved in the Canada-Kahnawake relations table dealing with the issue of the Seigneury (of Sault St. Louis),” Sky -Deer said. “There hasn’t really been any movement on the file. I thought it was important for them to express some of the frustrations that they have felt and not really getting any movement and traction.”

Sky-Deer says that Bennett appeared receptive to Kahnawake’s concerns about the land claims. But she felt the Minister was somewhat in the dark about the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis.

“Obviously people have not been briefing up to her accordingly. She didn’t think it was this bad. So she said ‘Let me take this back and definitely try to work on finding this person (negotiator) and maybe we would do it jointly,’ Because we did ask if Kahnawake could recommend some names in terms of our past experience of people we have had pretty good and positive relationship,” Sky-Deer said.