Saint-Eustache, September 19, 2019 – For the first time, elected officials of the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake met the mayors of the MRC of Deux-Montagnes on September 16th 2019, in Saint-Eustache. The meeting which included Mirabel Mayor, Jean Bouchard, Aboriginal Affairs’ Minister and member for Mirabel Sylvie D’Amours, was qualified as “historic” by both the Grand Chief of Kanesatake Serge Otsi Simon, as well as the prefect Denis Martin.
This meeting follows the gesture of reconciliation made by Oka Mayor Pascal Quevillon, towards the Mohawk community and the region, at the First Nations – Municipalities Summit that had been held a month prior in the Wendat community of Wendake. It allowed the Mohawk Council to provide a better understanding of the issues facing the community, while at the same time, promoting understanding of Kanesatake’s inherent rights within this new relationship, as well as ideas for ensuring new peaceful relations between the both societies.
At the meeting’s conclusion, elected representatives from Kanesatake and the MRC decided to work towards creating a liaison committee that would ensure permanent and effective communication between the two organizations. This committee will also have the mandate to facilitate the elaboration of joint projects and to foster new cohabitation.
“We have taken an important first step in building relationships of peace and friendship between us and our respective people, with, on our minds, our future children and generations to follow,” said the Grand Chief.
“We have a first constructive dialogue that allows us to better understand ourselves. This is an important step towards establishing a new relationship between Kanesatake and the municipalities of the MRC, “said Prefect Martin.
