Nothing is going well at the Mohawks of Kanesatake band council. Infighting between two factions has recently escalated, crippling the functioning of the organization. In this context of internal crisis, the former grand chief Serge Otsi Simon goes on the offensive: he turns to the courts to reinstate the council from which he was expelled following the cancellation of the results of an election that he had won in January. A maneuver that he considers partisan.
Former Mohawk Grand Chief Serge Otsi Simon has initiated proceedings in Federal Court against the Kanesatake Band Council. He disputes the recent annulment of the results of the by-election he won in January.
This victory not only allowed him to return to the band council as chief—a role equivalent to that of councillor—but, above all, his election symbolized the return to politics of the man who had been at the head of the band council. 2011 to 2021.
However, Mr. Simon’s festivities last January were short-lived. A week after her victory, one of the defeated candidates, Shirley Bonspille — sister of the current Grand Chief, Victor Bonspille — lodged a complaint with the Appeals Committee. In communications — that The duty was able to consult — she disputes the results, arguing that the organizing committee had not adequately publicized the holding of the election to members of the community.
The committee eventually canceled the results. A decision to say the least rare, which would not respect the Mohawk Electoral Code of Kanesatake, according to Serge Otsi Simon. In his legal proceedings, he argues that the Appeals Committee does not have the authority to invalidate the results of an election; only the Chief Electoral Officer would have this power.
More importantly, in making this decision, the appeal panel “did not act as an impartial decision-making or appeal body,” the court documents read. According to Mr. Simon, the committee would have been “guided by a political program […] acting in collusion with and for the purpose of furthering the interests [de ses] political opponents, including Grand Chief Victor Bonspille, and his sisters, Chief Valerie Bonspille and Respondent Shirley Bonspille”.
Intensification of tensions
Serge Otsi Simon’s legal proceedings confirm the intensification of tensions, which have been alive for years, within the Kanesatake Mohawk Band Council. In fact, since the election of Grand Chief Victor Bonspille in July 2021, two factions have been openly clashing within the organization.
On the one hand, the grand chief and his twin sister — chief Valerie Bonspille — denounce a rebellion on the part of the other chiefs of the council. Victor Bonspille did not respond to communications from the Duty, but its position is well known. In January, during an interview with Indigenous spaces of Radio-Canada, he maintained that his opponents “do not appreciate [s]a transparency”, ensuring that we work for the good of all. “Apart from my sister, the council leaders have personal ‘agendas’, and that’s not good for the community,” he said.
The other faction is made up of the four other chiefs who make up the Band Council as well as Mr. Simon, who cannot currently sit there. They regularly criticize the decisions of the Bonspille siblings and oppose them, arguing that they are not taken for the well-being of the community.
In interview at Duty, Serge Otsi Simon attributes the responsibility for the current fracture to the great chief Victor Bonspille. “In fact, the Grand Chief is in the minority on the Band Council. When you look at the other chiefs, you realize that the majority want to work for the community. And also, we see that they have realized that the great leader wants to work for his family and loved ones instead. »
Mr. Simon also fears that the current crisis will lead to violent altercations: “It’s crazy steep. I have never seen that. It’s already brewing, and I’m afraid it’s getting worse. There are already people who pass by and who make starts fast [des crissements de pneus] in my parking lot, even at night. I expect there to be [un jour] violence. »