MCK acknowledges City of Montreal endorsement of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

08/23/2017

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to acknowledge the City of Montreal on its official endorsement of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (‘the Declaration’) at their municipal City Council meeting on Monday.

The endorsement was passed unanimously.

Ietsénhaienhs Christine Zachary-Deom, Kenneth Deer and Assembly of First Nations of Quebec-Labrador Regional Chief Ghislain Picard were present for the event, which took place at City Hall.

“I am pleased that Mayor Coderre and the City Council have taken a leadership role in acknowledging the Declaration,” said Ietsénhaienhs Zachary-Deom, who attended on behalf of the MCK. “I was especially happy and proud to have witnessed the special recognition given to Kenneth Deer, who has given so many years to the creation of this historic document.”

The mayor has made several public statements regarding Reconciliation during the past few months. He has prefaced several speeches with the acknowledgement that Montreal sits on “unceded Mohawk Territory.”

“Of course, the City’s challenge will be in the implementation process,” she continued. “In the meantime, Mayor Coderre has worked with us to build a positive relationship with Onkwehonwe, which was almost non-existent for many years – basically, we were a forgotten people. By maintaining a real relationship based on respect and friendship the future is a little brighter today.”

“As part of their endorsement, the City has also announced that it will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Declaration with a special event on Wednesday, September 13th,” she concluded.

Canada and the United States were among only four countries to initially vote against the Declaration, though all four have now changed their initial position and have given their support.