The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to inform the community that Ohén:ton Í:rate ne Ratitsénhaienhs Cody Diabo and Chief Political Advisor Lloyd Phillips are in Quebec City today, joined by Chief Francis Paul of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, for a meeting with Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette to address Quebec’s proposed initiative to develop its own constitution.
The MCK made it unequivocally clear that any attempt by the province to redefine its constitutional framework must not interfere with the inherent rights, laws, and governance of First Nations. Kahnawà:ke, like other First Nations in Quebec, has its own constitution, laws, and jurisdiction, none of which fall under provincial authority.
“We are not part of Quebec. We are not subject to its laws. We are sovereign,” said Ohén:ton Í:rate ne Ratitsénhaienhs Cody Diabo. “Quebec’s constitution cannot be written over our existence. It must acknowledge the reality that First Nations have had the right to self-determination long before the province came into being.”
This meeting follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last winter between Kahnawà:ke and the government of Quebec, which was intended to ensure mutual non-interference. The MCK emphasized that Quebec must honor that agreement and refrain from any unilateral action that disregards First Nations jurisdiction.
“The MOU was a commitment to respect each other’s space,” continued Diabo. “If Quebec is serious about building a constitution, it must start by recognizing that First Nations are not stakeholders; we are Nations. Our laws and governance are not up for negotiation.”
