The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) is announcing a renewed political direction focused on strengthening direct relationships with the governments of Canada and Quebec and reinforcing political alliances with other First Nations.
As part of this direction, the MCK will withdraw its already limited participation from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) and focus on strengthening its bilateral relationship directly with Canada and Quebec. The transition will occur in phases to ensure continuity and completion of agreed upon commitments and representation.
The change follows longstanding concerns regarding the role of national and regional pan-indigenous advocacy organizations in political discussions affecting the inherent rights, jurisdiction, and sovereignty of individual First Nations.
Those concerns were reinforced at the First Nations–First Ministers Meeting in Ottawa on October 26, 2026, where discussions included the possibility of reforming or abolishing the Indian Act.
“For more than 25 years, Kahnawà:ke has maintained that the AFN and AFNQL do not speak or negotiate on our behalf,” said Ohén:ton Í:rate Ne Ratitsénhaienhs Cody Diabo. “We are taking concrete steps to ensure our political relationships are directly with both governments, and our voices are not silenced through these organizations. Any discussion regarding the Indian Act will come directly from rights holders”.
Kahnawà:ke will now prioritize direct engagement through established government-to-government processes, including the Kahnawà:ke–Canada and the Kahnawake-Quebec Relations tables, while strengthening its political alliances with other First Nations.
“This is not about withdrawing from cooperation with other Nations,” Grand Chief Diabo added. In fact, it’s the opposite. We have and will continue to re-establish our historic relationships with other First Nations.”
Moving forward, the MCK will advocate directly on behalf of its community with governments and other nations,” continued Diabo. “…and we expect governments to begin engaging directly with us.”
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Media Inquiries:
Ohén:ton Í:rate Ne Ratitsénhaienhs Cody Diabo video address: https://kahnawake.com/ratitsenhaienhs-report-cody-diabo-4/
Media Requests: mckmedia@mck.ca, attention Tehosterihens
