Meet the grand chief candidates

The Eastern Door invited everyone running for a spot on Council to make their pitch in their own words, answering the same questions in the same amount of space. This week it’s the grand chief candidates’ turn to make their pitch directly to readers.

Victor Bonspille, Brant Etienne, and Serge Otsi Simon are all running for the top job, with Simon also on the ballot for Council chief.

Victor Bonspille, who was elected grand chief in 2021, was ruled earlier this year to have vacated his seat by the MCK Ethics Commission; he contests its validity and continues to claim the title of grand chief. Bonspille did not respond to The Eastern Door’s invitation to share his platform directly with readers.

Answers have been minimally edited for clarity and style.

Brant Etienne

What motivated you to run for grand chief?

Environmental protection is a major reason. The provincial injunction slowed the pollution being dumped into the lake, but contamination is still being brought into the heart of Kanesatake.

Land grabbing continues. The major store owners in the Pines and elsewhere have continued taking community land to open everything from casinos, 24/7 bars, and a racetrack.

Safety has deteriorated rapidly with these new businesses and the organized crime backing them. Arsons targeting stores have spiked recently, indicating a gang war is underway between rival criminal groups.

The cannabis industry is the gateway for many of these problems and is still a major money maker for the store owners and their organized crime partners. It has brought in harder drugs, and we have had two overdose deaths of community youth this term.

From my experience on Council this mandate, I believe I am the only candidate that will genuinely confront these issues.

What do you want to accomplish if you’re elected?

I want to continue the creation of Kanesatake Mohawk Laws to address these and other problems.

To better enforce our laws, I want to create two new administrative positions.

1) A Director of Public Safety would have the mandate to develop the needed policies and protocols to deal with fire, flood, public health, and any other dangers to public safety that may arise.

2) A Director of Public Security would have the mandate to conduct a study on the security and policing needs of Kanesatake and develop the policies, protocols, and procedures for the creation of a new Kanesatake police force.

These are not the only goals I have, but I believe these are the best options for tackling a majority of the problems facing Kanesatake.

What makes you the right person for the job?

I have spent this last mandate fighting the environmental destruction of our home. Other candidates talk, but take no action. I have put myself directly in the way of the people destroying our lands. The point is to stop the destruction, not to appease the polluters.

I have taken the same stance to protect our people from organized crime and their associates. I have pushed for the creation of Kanesatake Mohawk Laws and will continue doing so. There is no middle ground regarding our safety, and I intend to do everything in my power to make Kanesatake for Kanehsata’kehró:non again.

Serge Otsi Simon

What motivated you to run for grand chief?

My motivation is due to some exploiting technicalities within our code to expel other candidates or, run for office knowing they have criminal records and that if my running for two positions in this election has to be symbolic in nature, let it be to show the urgency of amending the electoral code, so as to make it clear that myself or others, cannot do what I did and put the highest priority on fixing our governance once and for all. Why do I say symbolic? Due to all the lies, exaggerations, or misinterpretations of me create no illusions on the challenges I face in this election.

Ethics, roles and responsibilities and more, have been developed by our sister communities, so we don’t have to re-invent the wheel and just borrow a little here and there on work already done to establish quickly the rules of our governance.

What do you want to accomplish if you’re elected?

Once the highest governance standards are established, we can envision a council truly working in the best interest of the community and that those who cannot work with others for that goal could be quickly expelled and replaced.

Environmental laws, land distribution, economic development, customs and traditions, all based on the ethics of governance and Mohawk law, could help my community’s future generations flourish rather than continue stagnating. The potential was always there; it’s just the governance getting in the way.

I know that people here suffer great strain due in large part to the lack of adequate security and that my determination for policing will never be for suppression or used for political goals. It must always be to serve and protect the vulnerable.

What makes you the right person for the job?

Ten years as grand chief as well as three years as council chief, have taught me valuable lessons that I can use in all areas of benefit to Kanesatake, whether in negotiating with governments or consulting with community members on topics such as economic activities, laws or land uses and fair distribution. I don’t want to destroy but to enhance what’s there and at the same time, encourage growth in other sectors.

I’ve fought governments for many years, but I also know full well when diplomacy can be used to open doors and that applies to internal matters as well.

[email protected]

Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter