‘Oka crisis was a watershed moment for First Nations’ says Ontario Regional Chief Day

TORONTO (Sept 25, 2015) — Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day released the following statement regarding the 25th Anniversary of the End of the Oka Crisis:

This Saturday, marks 25 years to the day that the Oka Crisis ended on September 26, 1990 – after a three month stand-off between Mohawks, their supporters and the Quebec police and Canadian military over Kahnasatake land that was being expropriated for a golf course.

“Oka was a watershed moment for First Nations. It inspired my generation – as did the Ipperwash Crisis of 1995 – to become involved in First Nation politics and activism,” said Regional Chief Isadore Day. “Canadians must be reminded that our land means everything to us. Since Confederation, and especially since the Indian Act, our Peoples have been relegated to small reserves, which are only useful for perpetuating poverty.

The roots of the Oka Crisis can be traced back to 1868, one year after Confederation, when the Mohawks of Kahnasatake petitioned the Catholic Church to return their land. In 1936, the Church sold most of the land to the Town of Oka. In 1977, the Mohawks officially filed a land claim with the federal government. In 1986, that claim was rejected and tensions escalated towards the 1990 crisis.

Today, First Nations across Canada are still involved in land claim negotiations that have spanned decades. The only people to benefit have been lawyers and bureaucrats, while our Peoples suffer. Instead of returning a land base that will allow us to participate and contribute to the Canadian economy, it appears that Canada wants to perpetuate a welfare state.

Besides creating national and international awareness of First Nation issues, Oka was directly responsible for the federal Conservative government of the day establishing the four- year Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP). The 1996 RCAP report had over 400 recommendations that, if implemented, had the potential to provide our Peoples with the tools to gain our rightful place within Canada.

Instead of implementing those recommendations and investing in our Peoples, the federal Liberal government imposed a 1996 two-per cent funding cap that still exists today. Instead of becoming equals with the rest of Canada, First Nations have only fallen further behind. Today, the numbers of our children in care are at crisis levels, while missing and murdered Indigenous women remain Canada’s shame.

Oka did show Canada and the world the courage and strength of our women – our elders, grandmothers, mothers and aunties. They kept the stand-off from boiling over. They kept the lines of communication open. And they led their peoples out of the barricades when the crisis ended.

Today, First Nation women have become our political leaders as well. There are over 100 female Chiefs across Canada, including 39 in Ontario. There are also countless numbers of First Nation female activists, who include professionals such as lawyers, teachers, nurses, the list goes on. Together, we will continue the call to implement all of the RCAP, Ipperwash, and Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, and we will continue the struggle to ensure our children gain their rightful place in Canada.