BREAKING NEWS – Government Refusing to Negotiate with Akwesasne – CKON Interview – Akwesasne to Open own Customs Office!

ckon CKON Live Radio Interview with Grand Chief Mike Mitchell and James Ransom.

The Grand Chief has just announced that Akwesasne will open their own customs office on the Island with their own officers.

More to come….and we’ll wait for the official press release.  You can listen live on the station by clicking the logo.

Should Akwesasne Residents returning from the USA have to report to CBSA if not entering Cornwall? IE Just going their homes on the Island?

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14 Comments

  1. hmmmm Interesting, I can see this working out… But I can Also see this forcing the Hand of the Government and bring them back to the table!

    Pre Clarence for CBSA

  2. Jamie I have a question..

    How will Canada Look in the eyes of other leaders if they allow a group of Natives Man an entrance to OUR Country ??

    I do not think for one second that other leaders are not following this story closely, It makes the Government look foolish in my personal opinion.

    If Mohawks occupy the abandoned CBSA facility on Cornwall Island the only way for the Government to correct it is

    1. Negotiate a peaceful resolve with the Mohawks
    2. Suck it up and move back While working things out.
    3. Bringing in the Army

    I think that the easiest way to deal with whats going on is to Allow Mohawks to work with Mohawks on Cornwall Island side by side with CBSA.

  3. Author

    Hi 666577

    Well how does Canada look right now, in this exact moment? Remember main stream media still are not covering this story which to me isn’t so much a Native Issue story as a human rights story in that forcing the residents of Akwesasne to report to CBSA in the current paradigm or face punitive actions is at most immoral at the least and illegal at worst.

    Of course all of the political leaders are following this. I know of at least a few as I am in contact with them. To date I’m very saddened at the lack of political response and leadership to this situation.

    I have not heard confirmation of the old CBSA facility being used as the Native Facility, and I’m sure there are issues regarding if “it” is used.

    I think the response by the Grand Chief today was reasoned and certainly not hostile to Canada or the CBSA. The Harper government has to move and find a solution for the residents of Akwesasne as this reporting at Cornwall is just plain wrong.

    Again, as Mike said today, listen, find common ground, negotiate. I have no argument with that and would love to know why Mr. Harper seems to?

    I’m sure I’ll get an earful as I’m off to the Island and the tent after lunch.

  4. I think you have to dig further then the TENT, There is rift among the community, While the people at the “Tent” are all for it, it seems the majority are not.

  5. I think if they try it the government will just close the border crossing.

  6. Glassbowl,

    Honestly do you think that CBSA or the Government can just say the Hell with it and close the border ?? Considering the last time the closed it, It wasn’t CBSA that reopened it it was the US that basically said “Hey We’re not doing your laundry, We have a good relationship here that we don’t want to ruin Border open”

    If you think for 1 second that this Border will be shut down I got some land in Alaska for sale, Great for Sun Tanning !!

  7. From Canada’s perspective, it doesn’t matter who dresses up like border guards on the Island, unless they are CBSA, people will still have to report to the CBSA manned Port of Entry in Cornwall. The incrementing fines are meant to attach a monetary value to fear, since native are generally thought of as poor. By raising the price of noncompliance, Canada may hope to end this protest soon. How many natives will want to pay $3000 for their car? When the natives accept Canada’s decision, the fines will be wiped clean, again.

  8. Author

    I think the premise is to have CBSA allow the native customs agents to process native entry to the island. If the resident wishes to continue into Cornwall they’d still have to report to CBSA in effect having them have to go through two customs entries.

    To me that definitely is attempting to resolve the issue and much better than loading the bridge or inconveniencing people.

  9. I say I’m proud of all of us in akwesasne, as for manning the tent, if there comes a need to show a presence that all of akwesasne will be there in 5 to 20 minutes. Let them play their games at the grand circus at the end of the bridge. We all know how canada looks right now I went over to cornwall yesterday at 12:30 on the outside lane and man does that women need a puppy. Rude very rude!!!! It’s cbsa like her is the whole reason they are were the are now!!! The sould all go and be trained by the U.S boarder protection.. Now there is people who are proud over there. Very proffesional!! As for the army, I guess that is what canada does when they dont know what to do..Akwesasne don’t give in!!!!

  10. 666577

    The solution is simple. You block and eventually demolish the north span of the bridge.

  11. How would requiring canadians to report to two customs not be inconvenient? Why would the Island residents want to process themselves?

    A better solution would be for Canada to continue upgrading facilities in Cornwall and end their extortion policy towards people declared native. A POE in Cornwall makes more sense.

  12. Author

    Hey a POE in Cornwall is super, and from what I’ve heard most residents in Akwesasne would welcome that. Now what’s needed is to negotiate a solution for residents of the Island to report to Canada Customs that makes sense and is reasonable.

    Same for Non Residents of Akwesasne. Last night I was threatened by CBSA that I was breaking the law. According to the agent I had to go to the Station; pay two extra tolls and then go back to the Island to conduct my interviews after crossing from the US.

    That’s kinda nuts. The problem is that the Harper Government is refusing to negotiate with the MCA or other elements in Akwesasne.

  13. Why would residents of the Island have to report to Canada Customs? That makes no sense. The Island is not part of Canada, the city of Cornwall is. When residents decide to visit Canada they can be processed at the POE.

    The MCA is a department of INAC and is trying their best to implement Canada’s decisions. It’s the community that continues this protest. Canada has always induced a compromise with a nice big project in the past, this latest one will have to be pretty big.

  14. You good?, though clearly ignorant people do not seem to realize where this has already arrived to- I personally notified the CBSA that that agency/organization was placed into receivership by myself on Friday evening, so that is simply the end of CBSA and yes that is the entirety of that agency. All who were illegally employed to work at enforcing an illegal border on Onawaregeh are out of work=caput!
    Those of you who disillusionally believe that you live in a civic construct called Cornwall, which is in Kanienke’ha:ka territory, need to now prepare yourselves to report to the Kanienke’ha:ka nation to be processed according to your illegal status within their territory. Mr. Mike Mitchell does not speak for the Kanienke’ha:ka nation. He is a Mohawk person but has assumed an illegal office within the false ‘idea’ of ‘ “Canada” ‘ actually existing as a legal political entity.
    Only Britain(principally), France and Holland can answer to us for the endless litany of their abetting your(including your brethren the ‘Americans’) transgressions of the binding international agreements we made with them.
    The fact that you all have become part of an illegal society and grown up within your society that willfully avoids addressing it’s illegality makes you entirely pathetic and shameful individuals all! Without sufficient knowledge of courtesy paid to the histories and laws of this land your daily lives can hardly even be considered worthy of the international community. And I also want each of you to know that I emphatically despise the ways by which you continue to daily sully the natural environment here.

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