(Ottawa) The Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, is growing impatient with the paralysis of the Kanesatake band council in the matter of the G & R Recyclage sorting center. She urges the chiefs to reach an agreement quickly, to accept the help of a mediator or to ask the Federal Court to decide in a letter whose The Press got a copy.
“There is broad consensus that urgent and rapid action must be taken, as the contamination has serious consequences for the health and well-being of community members, as well as surrounding waterways », She wrote in the letter sent to the entire band council on Wednesday.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu
Kanesatake is grappling with the G & R Recycling site, an illegal dump that leaks toxic water, but the seven leaders cannot agree on how to remedy the situation. Investigations of The Press in May and June revealed that this brownish water exceeds by 144 times the concentration of sulphides considered safe for the survival of fish. The dump thus pollutes the waterways of its community and neighboring municipalities. It belongs to brothers Robert and Gary Gabriel, who both have long criminal pasts.
Indigenous Services Canada is willing to pay for a mediator, but his offer has already been declined. Mme Hajdu returns to the charge in his letter and suggests that this arbitration relates only to the question of G & R Recycling. “I strongly encourage you to accept mediation on this specific and urgent issue,” she insists.
The minister proposes that W8banaki, an organization of the Tribal Council of Odanak and Wôlinak in Centre-du-Québec, which offers various technical services to communities, begin the assessment of contaminants during mediation without the council having to take possession of the site or to assume financial responsibility.
The start of the work could “offer the community options on how to move forward to protect its health and its environment,” she notes.
Dissensions within the band council
This is the solution recommended by the five dissident leaders at the band council, which is divided into two factions. On one side, there is the great chef Victor Bonspille and his twin sister Valerie Bonspille; on the other, the five other chefs including the former grand chef Serge Otsi Simon. Neither side is in favor of this new offer of mediation.
The dissident leaders were the subject of two motions of censure last fall, but they do not recognize the legitimacy of the vote. They see it as a political maneuver by their adversaries. The motions were supported by around fifty members of the community, which numbers around 4,000.
Now, Mme Hajdu points out that the official results of these votes were never transmitted to his ministry. She also reminds all the leaders that she cannot interfere in their internal affairs. The Kanesatake band council is governed by its own electoral code. She encourages them to resolve their disputes over the composition of the band council or to appeal to the Federal Court. “A quick resolution will benefit the entire community,” she emphasizes.
The letter was poorly received on both sides. In an interview, Grand Chef Victor Bonspille said he was “disappointed”. He feels that his requests for help have all been ignored and that the minister has chosen the opposite side. He implored parliamentarians in November, saying he was “almost desperate,” and asked the federal government for a veto.
If they are not willing to intervene, Ministers Hajdu and Anandasangaree simply accept that these individuals are sitting there when the community does not want them.
Victor Bonspille, grand chief of the Kanesatake band council
Only the holding of a general election could resolve the impasse, according to him.
Serge Otsi Simon, for his part, believes that Minister Hajdu’s letter is contradictory. On the one hand, she says she does not want to get involved in the internal conflict at the band council, on the other she imposes unanimity for the solution to the problems of the dump.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The former grand chief of the Kanesatake band council, Serge Otsi Simon
“It doesn’t work like that,” he argues. A democratic system will always operate by a majority. »
Cleaning fees
The dissident leaders want to move forward with W8banaki, but they also want assurances from the federal government that it will fully cover the costs of cleaning up the site which would amount to 100 million, according to the Quebec government.
I think that the urgency to move forward on this issue goes far beyond Kanesatake’s internal affairs.
Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc member for Mirabel
In his opinion, Mme Hajdu and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree should at the very least agree to meet with Mr. Bonspille.
“Now, when we have a great leader who tries to communicate with the government, who has difficulty getting a response, it shows that perhaps additional solutions can be proposed by the federal government to resolve this crisis. », concludes the Bloc member.
Another solution proposed by Ottawa to try to resolve the dump problem therefore seems to have been ruled out. The Sustainable Development Institute of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador agreed in June to coordinate efforts to mitigate bad odors and determine the cost of decontamination work, provided it had the agreement of the entire Council. Mohawk from Kanesatake. This is the solution favored by the great chef Bonspille.