Mohawk citizens and environmental groups calling for a commission of inquiry to shed light on how “the situation of government failure in Kanesatake” allowed an illegal dump to discharge contaminated water into Lac des Deux Montagnes organized a game of ping-pong outside the office of federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller on Tuesday.
“A ping-pong table has been installed because the governments pass the buck by saying: ‘It’s not us, it’s not my jurisdiction, it’s the other government'”, explained the neo MP. Democrat of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Alexandre Boulerice, who has been in contact for several weeks with Mohawk citizens who denounce the situation.
Last week, The Press revealed that the heavily contaminated illegal G&R Recycling dump in Kanesatake has leaked foul-smelling water into nearby waterways on at least two occasions since April. Pink and Optimum, two indigenous sources that provided The Press nearly 2000 pages of documents showing that Quebec and Ottawa made dozens of inspections of the site, maintain that the intimidation and violence exerted by a small group of criminal Mohawks on the indigenous territory allowed this situation. In reaction to our publication, the federal Ministers of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, and of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, affirmed that security on Indigenous territory is the responsibility of the Sûreté du Québec rather than the federal government.
“The citizens of Kanesatake are living in an absolutely appalling situation, which would be unacceptable for any Quebecer, and it’s happening near our home, practically in our backyard,” thundered Mr. Boulerice.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The NDP MP for Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Alexandre Boulerice
“The Trudeau government talks about reconciliation with the First Nations, but has let a situation rot for years, added Mr. Boulerice, describing the situation as “environmental racism” and “stench of colonialism”.
The demonstrators were about twenty, all masked “in solidarity with Pink and Optimum”, the two Mohawk sources who denounce the situation on behalf of a “committee” of Kanesatake citizens, and who want to maintain their anonymity to protect their safety. A banner bearing the inscription “We do not play ping-pong with human lives” was displayed.
The two Mohawk sources are calling for the creation of an independent commission of inquiry, which would be overseen by the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, “to determine how the crisis developed and [quelle est] the responsibility of the levels of government,” said a press release they issued. Their group is also calling for the decontamination of the Recyclage G & R site as well as “multiple similar toxic landfills on Kanesatake territory”.
The NDP is calling for a parliamentary commission to shed light on the situation. “It’s the way I have to act as a federal deputy. I demand an investigation by the parliamentary committee on aboriginal affairs, said the elected official. But if there can be an independent commission, we are also in favor,” he added.
The two Mohawk sources affirm that it is “unrealistic” to ask the Kanesatake Band Council to find solutions to this security and environmental issue, “when it created the problem”, declared the spokesperson for the two sources, also masked.
“It is impossible for us to trust those who have broken our trust from the start. Solutions can only be found by creating a safe and secure space, where people can express themselves freely, without fear or intimidation,” claimed the two Mohawk sources, through the voice of this spokesperson.