Kahnawake’s Mohawk Council announced on Tuesday that it was planning to impose tolls on the roads crossing its territory in response to imminent federal budget compressions.
Grand Chef Cody Diabo told journalists that these tolls could help compensate for the impact of Aboriginal Canada’s budget cuts on the Mohawk community south of Montreal.
The Minister of Finance, François-Philippe Champagne, sent letters earlier this summer to several ministers asking them to reduce the programs expenses of their ministries by 7.5 % next spring, by 10 % the following year and 15 % in 2028-2029.
Diabo said that the reduction of the services provided to Aboriginal people through Aboriginal Canada services, without affecting transfer payments to the province, is equivalent to “racialized austerity”.
“Canada cannot claim a commitment to reconciliation while reducing the very services that support our communities,” he told journalists at a press conference in the Mohawk community. “These budget cuts will accentuate inequalities in terms of housing, health care, education, public security and even more, while compromising the legal obligation of Canada under article 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. »»
Article 15 guarantees everyone the right to equal protection before the law, without discrimination.
The great chief said that his council plans to establish tolls on the main highways, where, according to him, around 120,000 vehicles are circulating daily.
He said that the details of the plan would be announced later, but that the roads envisaged include roads 138 and 132, two main highways taken by people who go to Montreal and on the South Shore. He said the tolls could amount to around $ 4.60, the price of Highway 30, located nearby.
Mr. Diabo said that Kahnawake also includes a seaway and a railroad track, and has not excluded the possible taxation of additional tolls.
“Let’s be clear: this is not an attack on the Canadian population. It is an attack on the Canadian government itself, “he insisted.
“We have always tried to live and coexist peacefully. But repeatedly, the Canadian government has forced us to do things that we didn’t want to do. »»
The Grand Chef Diabo added that the announcement of these discounts comes in a context of opposition from Aboriginal people to the Act respecting the Unity of the Canadian Economy, which gives Ottawa the power to accelerate the adoption of projects which he considers to be of national interest.
He pointed out that Prime Minister Mark Carney should have mentioned the cuts during the summer meetings with Aboriginal leaders about Bill C-5.
“They will tell you something from the outset during national or other forums, then they will go behind the scenes and try to dismantle you systematically,” he said about the approach of the Carney government, which he compared to that of his liberal predecessor, Justin Trudeau.
The Kahnawake Mohawk Council asks the Liberal government to cancel budget compressions, which, according to him, could, among other things, compromise health, education and infrastructure programs, among others.
According to Cody Diabo, a person in person with members of the federal government would be a good first step to convince him to reconsider the question of tolls. However, he did not promise to change his mind, saying that his community is “very determined about what must happen”.
