Federal Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu made a strong pledge Thursday in Kahnawake to support First Nations in their desire to evade Bill 96.
Ms. Hajdu was in the Mohawk community on the South Shore of Montreal on Thursday to sign an education funding agreement with the leaders of 22 Aboriginal communities in Quebec.
The minister said she was “concerned to hear the chiefs’ perception of the impact they feel the law may have on their right to educate their children in the language and culture of their choice”.
She said that “it is important for us to stand with Indigenous peoples as a federal government to ensure that they maintain their rights, that they have the right to educate their children in a way that that they achieve success”.
Raise the wall even higher
The issue was originally raised by Gesgapegiag community leader John Martin during speeches preceding the reporters’ question period.
“When we look at the province of Quebec, one of the major questions, particularly for the communities [autochtones] of the English language, is that of the laws on the French language. For 40 years we have been confronted with linguistic laws. We have students who can’t graduate because they were unable to get the credits they needed and Bill 96 raises the wall even higher,” Chief Martin said.
The Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL), Ghislain Picard, also brought the question to the fore at this time by mentioning a letter of support received approximately two weeks ago from Minister Hejdu “who, in just a few words, confirmed that the Government of Canada will support First Nations in defending their rights and enforcing what they believe to be their right to teach our own children our culture “.
The question came up again during the question period and Ms. Hejdu indicated that she had shared her concerns with the minister responsible for the file in Quebec, Simon Jolin-Barrette. Then, she returned to the charge: “We cannot put barriers in the way of children who seek to reach their full potential, including barriers that involve language. We will continue to stand by and defend the leaders with whom I have the opportunity to work. I see it as an important part of my role as Minister of Indigenous Services. »
A colonial practice
John Martin, for his part, didn’t mince his words. “First Nations are the third partner in the constitution. We are signatories to the constitution and we have constitutional rights. And those constitutional rights include language rights, the same rights that Quebec has,” he said.
Citing Quebec’s use of the notwithstanding clause, he added that “if Quebec can use the notwithstanding clause of the constitution, why shouldn’t we as First Nations have the same right to protect our languages? ? »
“When a language tends to dominate, it is a colonial practice and that means the extermination of other languages and cultures. This is what we are up against. It will be our destiny and I believe the federal government really needs to address the constitutional issue of aboriginal rights within the constitution and language rights are part of that. We deserve this protection. We need the federal government to stand up and support us,” he said to the applause of the crowd gathered for the signing of the agreement.
“We did not choose our colonizer. »
For his part, Ghislain Picard recalled that “we did not choose our colonizer. We have been trying for decades if not centuries to adapt and I believe that needs to be recognized. Why are we the last to have a choice on this issue? »
Saying that he appreciated Ottawa’s support in this file, he acknowledged that there will always be “other challenges ahead of us and we will continue to count on what I call our most precious ally, the federal government, to standing up on this key issue”.