CORNWALL, Ontario – Two residents of Akwesasne returned to their vehicles to find unwelcoming messages on their windshields.
Lila Lazore, a resident of Snye, QC, which is a part of Akwesasne was at the No Frills parking lot at the Eastcourt Mall on Second St. in Cornwall on Thursday, Jan. 14 in the afternoon and came out to find one of these notes on her windshield which read “you are not from this province, you are not wanted here. Go home. Stay home.”
“I was taken aback and surprised this happened because I’ve been shopping in Cornwall all my life and the people I encounter here are always pleasant. In fact I have friends I went to school with that I keep in touch with. I think the actions of this one person borders on racism,” said Lazore.
Lazore explained that while Akwesasne is a part of multiple jurisdictions, it is still one community, that neighbours Cornwall.
“In spite of living in multiple jurisdictions, we are one community and have family in each area and we don’t put the border between us. Because of our province of residency, we are mandated to register our vehicles in that province, but we are still one people. I guess it is difficult for one to understand that we are not foreigners but are the same as you and we belong here too,” she wrote in a statement to Seaway News.
Gordon King, another Akwesasne resident who lives in the St. Regis, QC area had a similar experience outside of the Cornwall Square on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
“My first reaction was if it was someone in the parking lot that watched me walk inside the mall. I looked around and I did not see anyone nearby. It was upsetting to see and I looked around the vehicle and checked the tires to see if anything was tampered with, I see it as a threat and I felt harassed,” he said.
Grand Chief Abram Benedict of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) told Seaway News that he was aware of these issues and asked for understanding.
“People of Akwesasne can have dual citizenship,” he said. “We need to travel to Cornwall. Really it is the closest city service centre.”
Benedict said that he had contacted Cornwall Mayor Bernadette Clement about these incidents and that it was something that caused his council concern.
Mayor Clement addressed the issue in a Facebook Live event on Thursday evening, Jan. 14.
“Our community is very fortunate, and very diverse, and very rich and complicated. Our Mohawk neighbours in Akwesasne their space is extremely complicated,” she said. “There are jurisdictions there that include Ontario, Quebec, New York. People who reside in Akwesasne whether they have Ontario plates, New York plates, Quebec plates, they come in to Cornwall on a regular basis to get healthcare. They are important consumers in our economy. They are our business partners. They will come and buy groceries here.”
Clement explained that she has received inquiries from residents about closing the Quebec-Ontario border, and as that is a provincial issue, she has forwarded those inquiries to the relevant provincial authorities.
“People here who live in Cornwall need to understand it is not always what you may think. So some of those cars parked are Akwesasne residents who are validly here shopping, getting healthcare who have Ontario, Quebec, or New York plates because of their unique jurisdiction,” Clement said, adding that Cornwall would be working with Akwesasne on further messaging around this issue.
Cornwall City Councillor Todd Bennett also addressed the issue in a statement on Facebook.
“To the person that left this note on the windshield of one of our neighbors from Akwasasne’s car in the No Frills parking lot at 3pm today, STOP,” Bennett’s message reads. “The residents of Akwasasne have three borders in their territory, and their license plate will reflect that. They are free to cross the borders to do their shopping. The person who was the recipient of this note is more than welcome here, and I hope that your ignorance doesn’t persuade our neighbors to not continue shopping here. The same way our neighbors from the United Counties are welcome here, so are the residents of Akwasasne . If you are leaving these types of notes on peoples cars, stop. You have no way of knowing where this person lives, or what they are doing here. Thanks.”
On Friday afternoon, Jan. 15, the MCA released a letter stating that the harassment experienced by Akwesasne residents was unacceptable and called for awareness and understanding.
