Seigneury Progress

Progress is hopeful on the Seigneury file. It’s taken 340 years, but there has been some movement on the file and The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke provided updates for the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis (SSSL) Land Grievance and discussions with Canada. In 2022, at the request of the MCK, the Minister of Crown Indigenous Relations Marc Miller appointed a Special Ministerial Representative (SMR), Deborah Corber, to lead Canada’s discussions with the Council to restart joint work on the SSSL and Kahnawà:ke/Canada Relations (KCR). Starting with the initial visit in November of 2022 and discussions with the Portfolio Chiefs for SSSL and KCR, the MCK is optimistic that a renewed mandate to the SSSL file is within reach. Ratsénhaienhs Mike Delisle, Jr, saying that, now that we’re making progress, we’re reviving previous public education materials, and some new, which will be shared with the community. When there is significant movement on discussions, our community will be fully informed to help advance the file even further.

In 1994, the MCK and Canada engaged in a joint process to clarify and resolve the longstanding Grievance. In 2003, Kahnawà:ke accepted a formal offer from Canada to negotiate SSSL. Following a 2014 SSSL Community Consultation on Lands, feedback collected at that time guided how the MCK negotiates with Canada on the Grievance. Shortly after, progress on discussions with Canada began to stall until the SMR appointment. The SSSL technical team and the Ratitsénhaienhs have an open-door policy for community members to learn more about the Seigneury and to provide their important feedback. Additional engagement opportunities and informational activities for Kahnawa’kehró:non to access are upcoming. All information will be posted to the Kahnawà:ke Claims website (www.kahnawakeclaims.com) and posted to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke Facebook page.