Latest news with #MohawkCouncilofKahnawake
Global News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake considering road tolls in response to federal cuts
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake says it will probably impose tolls on the roads crossing its territory in response to looming federal budget cuts. Grand Chief Cody Diabo told reporters the tolls could help offset the impact of cuts by Indigenous Services Canada on the Mohawk community south of Montreal. He says his council is looking at implementing tolls on major highways where he says approximately 120,000 vehicles pass through daily. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Federal ministers have been asked to carve out savings of 7.5 per cent next spring, with cuts expected to rise to 15 per cent in 2028-29. Diabo says the news of the cuts comes in the wake of Indigenous opposition to Bill C-5, which gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects it considers to be in the national interest. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake is calling on the Liberal government to reverse the budget cuts, which it says could jeopardize programs in health care, education and infrastructure, among others. Story continues below advertisement This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025.
Toronto Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake considering road tolls in response to federal cuts
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo speaks during a news conference regarding Bill C-5 and federal budget cuts in Kahnawake, Que., Tuesday, August 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes GMH flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake considering road tolls in response to federal cuts
KAHNAWAKE – The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake says it will probably impose tolls on the roads crossing its territory in response to looming federal budget cuts. Grand Chief Cody Diabo told reporters the tolls could help offset the impact of cuts by Indigenous Services Canada on the Mohawk community south of Montreal. He says his council is looking at implementing tolls on major highways where he says approximately 120,000 vehicles pass through daily. Federal ministers have been asked to carve out savings of 7.5 per cent next spring, with cuts expected to rise to 15 per cent in 2028-29. Diabo says the news of the cuts comes in the wake of Indigenous opposition to Bill C-5, which gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects it considers to be in the national interest. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake is calling on the Liberal government to reverse the budget cuts, which it says could jeopardize programs in health care, education and infrastructure, among others. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Kahnawake council grand chief walks out of Carney meeting
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo was one of multiple attendees to walk out of a meeting with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney last week, in an event that Diabo characterized as more of a PR stunt than a meaningful consultation. 'I refuse to be a photo op or have Kahnawake be a campaign tool for any foreign governments,' Diabo said. 'I was very, very disappointed with the event overall.' Diabo was one of over 600 members of Indigenous leadership who were in Gatineau last week for a summit concerning Bill C-5, now known as The Building Canada Act. The Act is supposed to facilitate the fast-tracking of certain major infrastructure projects with the intention of strengthening Canada's economy, but many First Nations leaderships have expressed concern that it could come at the expense of Indigenous communities' rights. A lack of meaningful consultation was a major topic before the passing of the Bill, with many Indigenous groups, including the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) arguing that the legislation was being rushed through with little regard for Indigenous input. The summit in Gatineau was pitched as a way for community leaders to have facetime with Carney and voice their concerns, Diabo said, but instead felt like a slap in the face. He waited six-and-a-half hours before an opportunity arose to say anything at the meeting. 'I had got on the mic, stated my displeasure, said that I didn't want my name or Kahnawake's name attached to whatever this was, and I blatantly told him I had better training session engagements than whatever this was,' Diabo said. The structure of the meeting wasn't conducive to meaningful engagement, Diabo said. Attendees sat at large tables with other leadership from similar regions, leading to an environment where it felt like participants talked more amongst themselves than directly to Carney and his cabinet. Tables were to discuss guiding questions in their groups, and then each table was asked to answer just one question per session, for a total of four questions throughout the event. 'We were engaging ourselves and Canadian officials would just hear what we had to say, rather than just dialogue directly with them about it,' Diabo said. It was a completely different structure than he's seen before for these kind of meetings, Diabo said, and he added that it felt insulting. 'It almost felt like we were in some kind of high school thing, where it's like, 'You sit down, you answer these questions, and you answer only when you're called upon, when you're picked, and if you're not picked, you don't have an ability to speak,'' he said. 'It was very disheartening. I'm very disappointed.' While topics like meaningful consultation and economic partnerships were brought up at the summit, Diabo ultimately felt like the prime minister's thoughts on the issues read as performative. 'The consultation stuff they know. We've sent many of these responses to them already with our concerns about how consultation normally is. They're just asking for the same information that I know Kahnawake has already sent numerous times in correspondence with federal entities,' he said. Diabo said that the event featured panellists, including Indigenous panellists, but that all of those panellists seemed to be in favour of the legislation. It felt at odds with the reality of the situation, Diabo said, because while the Indigenous people on the panel looked favourably on the Act, most of the Indigenous people in the room felt strongly opposed to it. 'I don't know if it was a way for them to have their 'token Indians' or whatnot, but I felt kind of speechless about it,' Diabo said. He felt particularly disappointed to see the amount of airtime given to the AFN who were granted time for opening remarks. It's another move that Diabo feels demonstrates how the Canadian government views the AFN as a government, instead of an advocacy organization. He had a particular issue with the AFN national chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who he felt gave Carney too much praise for simply hosting the meeting. 'She said, 'We're all glad that you're our prime minister,' and I had to correct that and say that he's not our prime minister, we're individual sovereign nations, and we don't look at Canada as being our leaders,' he said. 'A lot of the speaking points from AFN were about that.' Diabo was one of several chiefs to walk out of the summit, and Diabo said he's prepared to collaborate with other First Nations leadership in fighting against the legislation. He's already been speaking with leaders from the Oneida Nation of the Thames, who are one of nine First Nations in Ontario launching legal action against the Act, and the MCK will be reviewing their submissions in the filings. 'Who knows, maybe we'll partake in it, or we'll launch our own, those are things we're going to start exploring,' Diabo said. In a written statement to The Eastern Door, Anispiragas Piragasanathara, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), said that meetings will continue between the prime minister and his cabinet as well as Indigenous communities about the Act to ensure its implementation 'proceeds in the spirit of collaboration grounded in meaningful engagement.' They did not address questions concerning the views expressed about the event and the chiefs who walked out of the meeting. eve@ Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Minister meets with Kahnawake Council
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo said he feels hopeful about the future relationship between the community and Rebecca Alty, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, after a successful introductory meeting this week. 'I think overall the meeting went really well, the minister was really engaged, she had a lot of questions and was wanting to really figure it out, and echoed the same things as us,' Diabo said. Alty is non-Indigenous but hails from the Northwest Territories and served as the 15th mayor of Yellowknife until this year. She was appointed to the office of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs in May, taking over from minister Gary Anandasangaree, who had held the office after Marc Miller under Justin Trudeau's leadership as prime minister. Mark Carney, who was elected to the office of prime minister in March, shuffled Anandasangaree to Public Safety, making Alty the first-ever full cabinet minister with a named portfolio to be from the Northwest Territories. Alec Wilson, a representative for Alty's office, said that the minister was 'grateful' to participate in the meeting. 'The minister looks forward to staying engaged and working together as partners in the weeks and months to come,' Wilson said. Diabo said several topics were discussed, including the topic of negotiations for the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis, and the need for better communication between the federal government and the MCK. 'I really liked the sense that with fresh eyes, maybe she can see something that the others didn't. So there's a lot of hopes right now, it was a really great meeting,' he said. He said that he also took the opportunity to express his discontentment with the recently passed Bill C-5, now known as The Building Canada Act. The Act seeks to fast-track major infrastructure projects, but several communities across Turtle Island, including Kahnawake, have expressed concern that rushing through projects might come at the expense of Indigenous rights. Diabo was in Ottawa on Thursday to meet with federal leadership to discuss the bill further, including Mandy Gull-Masty, who is the first-ever Indigenous person to lead Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). This week, it was also announced that nine First Nations in Ontario have filed a legal challenge against the law, in tandem with a challenge against Ontario's Bill 5, which is similar in nature. 'I told her that in Kahnawake we're very vocal. We say what we need to say, we say what's on our mind, and we'll definitely be reaching out when there's concerns and things like that. It's not personal against her, but it's about the machine that she represents,' he said. eve@ Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
