Kahnawake suspending political contact with Quebec; Grand chief demands 'substantive solution' on Bill 96
Kahnawake says it will suspend all political engagement with the Quebec government until it can provide a "substantive solution" regarding the controversial overhaul to the French language charter passed earlier this week.
"We're not going to continue to engage with Quebec on any political files moving forward," said the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) community’s grand chief, Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer.
Sky-Deer says she has requested a meeting with Quebec Premier Francois Legault. Until he -- or another high-level representative – agrees to talks, "we're not going to have any more engagement with Quebec at any level."
Prior to the law's passing, Indigenous leaders across the province pleaded with the government to provide a carve-out for their communities over concerns that the bill would create barriers to education and undermine reconciliation efforts.
Sky-Deer met with Quebec ministers earlier in May to discuss the bill. She said there were hopes at the time that lawmakers would understand their worries and confirm that Indigenous communities would be exempt.
"What we did hear is that they do want to help ensure protection of Indigenous languages," she said, adding that the ministers stopped short of committing to a carve-out.
"I did feel extremely disappointed with the outcome," she said, speaking of the law's passing, which came less than two weeks later.
"It just feels really dismissive -- arrogance, even, to some degree, to just continue forward and not hear our pleads, our concerns, our requests."
Community leaders have told media that they're especially worried that the bill will add to the barriers to education for Kahnawake's young people.
Kahnawake students generally study in English rather than French for historic reasons, and the bill creates extra requirements for English-speaking CEGEP students, namely that they take extra French classes.
But the community is also worried about how the bill will affect its health and social services, which it runs itself, as well as its police service, Mike Delisle, a member of the Mohawk Council of Chiefs, said Wednesday.
Another concern is access to the justice system, considering the bill's new and much more onerous requirements for English speakers in the court system, including having to immediately have certain documents translated into French, at their own expense, and forbids companies from pleading in languages other than French.
-- With files from CTV News' Kelly Greig and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.