The Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community south of Montreal sent Prime Minister Mark Carney an open letter Thursday, reminding him of Indigenous peoples’ role in “guaranteeing the existence of Canada.” During his speech in Quebec City last week, Carney said the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham — during which the British defeated the French, who then lost control of New France — symbolized the beginning of a partnership between two peoples. Carney’s speech was partly a response to American President Donald Trump’s claim that “Canada lives because of the United States.” But the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) said the prime minister is glossing over history and erasing the importance of Indigenous peoples by painting Canada as a society built by the French and British. “Canada exists primarily due to the intervention and assistance from First Nations allied with the British in their military conflicts with the Americans,” the MCK wrote, adding that the Kanien’kehá:ka formed treaty relationships with the British and French-Canadians. The letter points out that the Kanien’kehá:ka played key roles in major battles against American expansion that defined the confederation — including the War of 1812, the Battle of Beaver Dams, the Battle of Châteauguay, the Battle of Crysler’s Farm and the Battle of Lacolle Mills. “The Kanien’kehaka and other First Nations are not merely, as you stated in your speech, the former stewards of this continent, we are nations and we are partners who are in treaty relations with Canada because of our blood sacrifices and the instrumental role we have played,” the letter says. The MCK stressed that treaties enshrined a commitment to peaceful co-existence. While the council noted that the Building Canada Act mandates consultation with Indigenous peoples and that Carney acknowledged that “Canada thus far has been built ‘on the dispossession (land) of, and broken treaties with, Indigenous Peoples,’” it is asking the government to follow through with meaningful action. The letter called on Carney to restore relationships agreed to in treaties, including the process for legally acquiring land and territory from Indigenous communities laid out in the Royal Proclamation. The MCK has opposed the Building Canada Act (Bill C-5), is pursuing a land claim on the South Shore of Montreal, which they claim was illegally taken and criticized the government’s plan to sell “unused” Crown lands for housing when it is indebted to Indigenous communities. “We offer this challenge not as petitioners of the past, but as a living and thriving nation,” the MCK said. “We are still here, we are resilient, and we will continue to advocate, peacefully and firmly, for the restoration of what is rightfully ours.” Carney’s speech also drew sharp criticism from Quebec politicians who accused Carney of attempting to rewrite history by overlooking what the Battle of the Plains of Abraham has meant to francophones.
