Direct Action Needed to Resolve the Border Problem

The Akwesasne community is being manipulated into a crisis by the  Canadian Border Security Agency.  They knew that by placing a facility  in Cornwall it would provoke the Mohawk people and they would then use  an incident to point an accusatory finger our way and state that their  fears were justified and that the need to carry weapons is essential.   The CBSA may also think that by taking Mohawk cars and assessing huge  fines the residents of Akwesasne will be so upset as to demand the  leadership compromise and allow the custom agents to be armed once they  return to Kawehnoke.

The CBSA could not press the Mohawks into blocking the bridge on June 1  nor could they produce any proof that anyone in their employ was at any  time in physical danger.  They lied then and are acting in a manner  which is dishonest and without cause. They refuse to acknowledge that  their agency wanted a confrontation ten weeks ago so they could make  use of the May 27th international intervention agreement the Canadian  government signed with the US.  And, just as in June, this recent  incident involves a joint attempt by the Canadian and American  authorities to intimidate the Mohawk people.

But will it work?

The Mohawk leadership has a tough task before it: how to secure our  aboriginal rights in a time of enhanced policing by the US and Canada.  There are a number of options to consider before a real fight breaks  out.

First, the lines of communication between the Mohawk leadership, the US Department of Homeland Security and the CBSA must be kept open. We have  to be able to speak with each other, to respond to problems quickly and  to draft policies designed to protect our aboriginal status and treaty  rights.  We must also be conscious that what happens at Akwesasne will  affect Native people across the continent and we are being used as a  test case.  With that in mind we should press for a task force composed  of all three parties with the duty of investigating the border issue  and then submitting possible solutions. The task force should do what any effective committee does: hold public forums,give the people the  chance to air their grievances and take their ideas into consideration.

Second, the Mohawk people have a right to cross freely from one part of  our territory to another. We need a security service at the customs  complex on Kawehnoke to check all vehicles entering that district and  then determine who may drive from the crossroads and who may not.  Such  a security service would be far more effective that the CBSA in  protecting our borders and they may work out a method of assuring the  Canadians that no illegitimate trafficking is taking place.

Third, the Mohawk leadership must acknowledge the real concerns the  Americans and Canadians have about smuggling. The transfer of  contraband, as contraband is defined by the Mohawks, leads to serious  problems in all three nations.  We have to recognize that what takes  place here is part of a vast criminal network which contaminates whomever  it touches.  No family at Akwesasne is immune from its effects.  And it  results in violence, corruption and death.  No solution is possible  until the Mohawk leadership addresses this crisis. The Canadians and  Americans are right in seeking an end to smuggling but the imposition  of external rules cannot work.  The Mohawk people must be mad enough to  rise as a community and say “ENOUGH”! Then give their respective  leaders the authority to stop the smuggling.

Fourth, a free trade agreement needs to be negotiated with all three  nations whereby the Mohawk people have the option of carrying on  legitimate business with natives from other nations. Naturally, such  trade has to be subjected to the rules and regulations of Akwesasne.  Voluntary compliance does not work but the rules must be designed to  secure economic prosperity for the Mohawk people.  No such agreement  would ever be considered, however, until the Mohawks of Akwesasne can  demonstrate the ability to govern ourselves in a responsible way.

Fifth, the border must be redrawn around Akwesasne or at least  moderated in its effect. Once we were a single people under one  government.  That ideal is still a possibility if Canada and the US are  informed that is the will of the Mohawk people and that after a popular  vote such a system will be in place. A rational person would come to  the conclusion that this is the ultimate solution.

Should the current government in Ottawa continue its tactics of  harassing the Mohawk people then the leadership should seek meetings  with the leaders of the Liberal and New Democratic parties as a means  of applying pressure on the Prime Minister.  The border issue must be  expanded beyond a regional concern since it does encompass aboriginal  rights. The Conservative government is on shaky ground and a vote of  “no confidence” in Parliament will bring it down.   MP Guy Lauzon must  also be held accountable for his inaction on this issue.

Finally, the Mohawk people have another power-the economy.  The fact is  that Akwesasne keeps Massena, Malone and Cornwall afloat.  A well  organized and complete boycott of all businesses in Cornwall will  result in tremendous pressure coming from the non-Natives.  We spend  millions of dollars in Cornwall each month so each and every resident  of Akwesasne should be asked to stop spending there until the CBSA  backs down.  An election in Canada will soon happen and we must see  beyond Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The patience of the Mohawk people over the past few months has been  historical but it is not limitless.  It is now the task of the Mohawk  leadership to carry out the will of the people and resolve this issue  once and for all. But if Canada refuses to negotiate in good faith then what is left but to permanently close the northern span of the International Bridge.