Minister meets Council chief at powwow

The Echoes of a Proud Nation Pow-Wow saw many come to Tekakwitha Island, including the minister responsible for relations with the First Nations and the Inuit, Ian Lafrenière.

Part of the day was spent speaking with Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief Jeffrey Diabo, while walking the powwow grounds.

As Lafrenière put it, his meeting on Saturday at the powwow was not a formal one, but more akin to “two dads, talking to each other,” in the spirit of collaboration.

“It’s a social day, so we’re not really getting too much into work, but I just wanted to have a very brief discussion about some issues to address,” said Diabo.

Mostly, he said that they discussed the question of lands with the minister, particularly the matters of the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis as part of the recently launched Still Ours campaign.

“We realized that eventually Kahnawake’s borders have to expand. We’re growing. Our population is growing. It’s going to have to happen. So those are some of the discussions that we have had, and we look to try to find ways of moving into the future together and having a peaceful, collaborative relationship, rather than always butting heads,” said Diabo.

For that, the powwow was a good place to have that discussion with the minister.

“It’s all about re-establishing the friendships and getting past all the negativity,” Diabo said.

The minister said that this was his first time in Kahnawake since the signing of the Statement of Understanding and Mutual Respect between the province and MCK in late December 2024, and that the tenets of that agreement still hold true in the months following its signing.

“We need to work together. We live side-by-side. There’s a part of the history that we can’t be proud of, but it’s impossible to redo that. So let’s work together now, understanding the past, understanding the history, and understanding why,” said Lafrenière.

He added that he plans on meeting with MCK grand chief Cody Diabo soon.

“We want to find solutions. It’s not going to be easy,” he said.

Lafrenière has been a powwow regular, having attended four Echoes of a Proud Nation powwows as well as others in the province.

He said that taking the time to go and experience the culture was important to him and his family - he was at the powwow on Saturday with his daughters.

“One of the purposes is to get together, to know more about the language and the culture,” said Lafrenière.

The powwows are a good opportunity for non-Indigenous people to learn more about the communities close to them, he noted.

For Diabo, it’s also a reminder of the strength and solidarity the community has shown.

“It’s a unifying event, and it reminds us of the difficulties that we encountered during 1990,” said Diabo.

“It represents the resilience of the Mohawks, to be able to come together in times of crisis and still survive because even being surrounded by external forces, we’re able to feed our people and maintain security.”

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With files from Aaron McComber