The Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, Ian Lafrenière, believes that we must “let the dust fall” before reviving the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, which decided on Wednesday to “pause” its relations with Quebec, in the wake of the passage of Bill 96.
“The outstretched hand is there and people know it, argued Mr. Lafrenière, in an interview with The duty. I understand that currently there is a reaction. »
The elected official admitted that the “impacts are real” and said he was ready to work with the community to find solutions. The protection of the French language will not be done “to the detriment of the First Nations and Aboriginal languages”, assured Ian Lafrenière.
On Wednesday, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (CMK) said it was “outraged” by the adoption of the CAQ reform of the Charter of the French language, Bill 96. “The MCK made it clear to Quebec that the legislation would have certain repercussions on our community, our nation and our institutions,” the statement read.
“Quebec’s actions to move forward with the passage of this bill, despite our noted concerns, have put our relationship in an extremely strained state and forced us to consider whether the discussions thus far were of good faith,” said Grand Mohawk Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer.
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake therefore intends “to fight against the imposition of this legislation in any way [la] community deems necessary.
For its part, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) described the adoption of Bill 96 as a “great step backwards”. ” [Cela] Reconciliation with the First Nations is postponed until an uncertain future,” said Chief Ghislain Picard.
No “wall-to-wall solution”
According to Minister Lafrenière, perceptions of Bill 96 vary from one community to another. There is therefore “a great danger of arriving with a wall-to-wall solution,” said the minister.
In order to find “field solutions”, it will be necessary to show “a lot of listening”, underlined Ian Lafrenière.