The Council of Canadians supports the demand of the Rotinonhseshá:ka of Kanehsatà:ke that no development occur on Kanehsatà:ke Kanien’kehá:ka ancestral lands without their Free, Prior and Informed Consent. The Canadian government has an obligation under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to respect the right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent on decisions that impact First Nations.
The Council of Canadians is working to dismantle colonialism within Canadian society and from all levels of government and public institutions and we reject the ideologies and instruments of colonialism, racism, and misogyny, both past and present.
Kanehsatà:ke Kanien’kehá:ka ancestral lands are under threat from private developers, municipal governments and transnational corporations. The federal government must place a moratorium on all such development and enter into meaningful negotiations as soon as possible.
Furthermore, we support the demands for an immediate cessation of all archeological digs in Parc national d’Oka and the return of all cultural heritage/artifacts to the Rotinonhseshá:ka of Kanehsatà:ke.