Mohawk Protest Could Lead to Permanent Closure of Border Crossing

The Seaway International Bridge, which spans the St. Lawrence River and links Canada to the United State along the northern border of New York State, could be closed permanently unless Akwesasne Mohawk Indians accept the Canadian government’s decision to arm border guards at the crossing. 

Speaking on a Canadian news program yesterday, Peter Van Loan, Canada’s Public Safety Minister, said there would be no exceptions to the decision and federal officials were considering several options, including moving the border crossing to another location. The crossing at Cornwall Island, which is Mohawk land, handles about 2.4 million passengers a year.

Canada Border Services Agency workers left their posts on Cornwall Island, citing safety concerns, just before midnight May 31 in advance of an Akwesasne Mohawk protest.  Protesters say they are worried that arming guards could lead to violence on their land.  Read more here.

In Canada, Former Students of Native Residential Schools Get an Apology

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood in the House of Commons yesterday and apologized to the former students of government funded native residential schools. There were about 130 such schools in Canada, the last of which closed in 1996.

Speaking to an overflow crowd of aboriginal leaders and former students, some of whom wept when he spoke, Harper called the treatment of children in Indian residential schools “a sad chapter” in Canadian history.

"Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country," he said to applause.

More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were removed from their communities and forced to attend the schools, where many were subjected to physical and sexual abuse.

The apology is the latest in a series of actions the government has taken to make up for its assimilation policy. In September, the government formalized a $1.9-billion compensation plan for victims. The government has also established a truth and reconciliation commission to examine the legacy of the residential schools.

Read more about it here. Hear about it on the CBC’s “As it Happens.”