CBSA Arming Moves Forward Despite Akwesasne Concerns
Onerahtohko:wa / May 29, 2009
AKWESASNE – Members of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne traveled to Ottawa yesterday in a last ditch effort at diplomacy aimed at convincing federal officials to stop the Arming of the CBSA officers planned for June 1st. MCA Grand Chief Tim Thompson and Chiefs have been working diligently to meet with Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan since being notified of the Canadian Governments intention to begin arming Canada Customs agents.
The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne’s initial request to schedule an Emergency Meeting with the Public Safety Minister began in March 2008, with MCA’s efforts increasing during the past week. Since efforts first began, the Minister of Public Safety’s Office has continually denied MCA’s request to meet and only acknowledged receipt of the request nearly six months after it was made.
Yesterday, MCA was informed that the Public Safety Minister continues to be unavailable to discuss this urgent issue as he is on travel in Rome, Italy. Mohawk Council’s repeated attempts to meet with Minister Van Loan proved unsuccessful and are being viewed as disappointing.
As a result, MCA made attempts yesterday to meet with the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Chuck Strahl, but were told that he was unavailable as he was leaving for Vancouver, British Columbia. However, Canadian Border Services Agency President Stephen Rigby was available to meet with the Grand Chief and Chiefs yesterday afternoon.
The meeting took place at the CBSA President's Office, where his senior level Directors were also in attendance. Grand Chief Thompson clearly expressed the growing concerns of the Akwesasne community and how they have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears within the Canadian Government.
During the discussions, the Grand Chief offered a reasonable solution that entailed a postponement of the arming until injustices involving Akwesasne Mohawk People have been resolved. It was reiterated by the Grand Chief that MCA remains open to solutions that do not entail guns and avoids confrontation at the Cornwall Port of Entry.
Stephen Rigby stated that he has to contend with his border guards and the involvement of legal rights for their own personal safety. This has resulted in a federal policy calling for the national implementation of the arming initiative for all Canada Customs agents.
MCA Chiefs tried to no avail to convince the CBSA President to stop the arming without success. Mr. Rigby's final comments to the Council as they prepared to leave were: “I appreciate your issues, but will have to ponder this, but "our position is what it is."
Mohawk Council Chiefs remain frustrated with the Government of Canada's lack of consultation in this matter and their inability to accommodate their repeated requests to have meaningful dialogue on this important issue. Though MCA has briefly met with Stephen Rigby during the past few weeks, it was a matter of CBSA informing our community of its intentions, rather than consulting with our community on the potential impact of their arming initiative.
Despite the unfavorable results of yesterday’s meeting with CBSA President Stephen Rigby, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne continues its efforts to meet with Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan. MCA also maintains that actions at the Cornwall Port of Entry must remain peaceful for everyone’s safety. MCA continues to place the safety of Akwesasne community members and that of the traveling public first and foremost. It’s unfortunate that the federal government places the personal safety of its border guards above those of the traveling public.
MCA asks that the community continues to remain peaceful and does nothing that disrupts the lives of local residents and all travelers that utilize this border crossing on a daily basis. They express their belief that this issue is not about our people, but is about the Government of Canada's lack of respect to consult and have meaningful dialogue with First Nations People that seek peaceful resolutions to our concerns.
