A new channel of communication between Kahnawake and neighbouring municipalities
Anne-Louise Milot, Director of Communications and Government Relations for the MRC, Francis Walsh, member of the Kahnawake Consultation Committee, Winona Polson-Lahache, Chief Political Advisor of Kahnawake, and Gilles Marcoux, Chief Executive Officer and Clerk-Treasurer of the MRC de Roussillon, are part of the committee.
The MRC de Roussillon and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake have set up a technical liaison committee to facilitate the exchange of information between the member communities.
Translation Amanda Bennett
The committee is made up of two employees of the MRC Roussillon, which represents 11 municipalities including Châteauguay, Saint-Constant and Sainte-Catherine, and two representatives from the community of Kahnawake.
"This is the start of a new relationship based on mutual respect and recognition. We've been rubbing shoulders for hundreds of years without really knowing each other. And today we're providing ourselves with an official channel of communication, which will facilitate exchanges between our two communities," said MRC Prefect and Delson Mayor Christian Ouellette.
For Kahnawake Chief Political Advisor Winona Polson-Lahache, who sits on the technical committee, this type of initiative is long overdue.
"Let's just say we've had our challenges in the past. We've often been informed of economic or transport projects at the end of the process," she explained in an interview. Ms. Polson-Lahache pointed out that this group would have no decision-making powers, but that it could act as a liaison with the political authorities.
Relations have not always been harmonious between the municipalities of the MRC and Kahnawake, particularly at the time of the land transfer along Highway 30. The MRC and the Mohawk Council have been working towards building a closer relationship since 2020.