Grand Chief sends open letter to Aboriginal Affairs Minister Valcourt

04/17/2014

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke wishes to announce that Grand Chief Michael Ahríhron Delisle, Jr. has sent a letter to Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt in regard to the Canadian First Nations education legislation.

It is being described as an ‘open letter’ due to the need to share the information contained within to other First Nations communities and leadership across the country.

Grand Chief Delisle directly addresses Kahnawà:ke’s strong discontent with Canada’s failure to honor its obligations and commitments to engage this community in meaningful engagement on the issue of education.

“The correspondence we’ve received from the Minister’s office confirms that Canada has engaged the Assembly of First Nations to collect consent and move forward,” said Grand Chief Delisle. “Our letter makes it clear that we are opposed to the Federal government’s use of the AFN as a duly mandated body to engage in consultations on matters that affect our rights. Simply put, that is unacceptable.”

“We have fought for decades to establish and develop an education system that reflects our unique realities,” he continued. “As the letter says, this community will not drop the fight and will not succumb to imposed legislation that violates our Right to oversee our own system. It is urgent that Canada heed this fact and meet with our community to find a way to resolve our concerns.”  

The letter is available for viewing at www.kahnawake.com.