Thirty years later: Oka Crisis land dispute remains unresolved

In the second installment of this two-part series, Tina Tenneriello revisits the Oka Crisis and hears from those still dealing with the repercussions of that 78-day stand-off.

MONTREAL (CITYNEWS) – Thirty years after the Oka Crisis embroiled the nation, Quebec’s Mohawk people say the land issue at the heart of that dispute remains unsettled.

The Oka Crisis was a 78-day stand-off over an area known as the Pines in Oka, a small town an hour west of Montreal.

“Can we settle this? It’s been 30 years,” said Wanda Gabriel, who was a liaison person for the Kanesatake Mohawk during the Oka Crisis. “Actually, if you think about the land issue in Kanesatake, it’s been 300 years that our families have been taking a stand to protect our territory.”

RELATED: Revisiting the Oka Crisis: Testimonies from the frontlines

On July 11, 1990, Quebec provincial police dismantled a peaceful protest set up by Mohawks to protect their land and burial ground. The mayor of Oka at the time wanted to bulldoze it to expand a golf course.

“Everybody was just trying to make a point: you are not taking one more blade of grass from us,” said Grand Chief Serge Otsi Simon of the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake.

“The militancy of Mohawk people, it’s all related to this. The anger was passed on from generation to generation.”

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When the 78-day stand-off between Mohawks, the Surete du Quebec and the Canadian Army ended, the golf course expansion was halted. But the Mohawks say they are still fighting for their land today.

“Kanesatake knocked Canada’s reputation as peacemakers to the knees and I feel like Kanesatake is paying for that,” said Gabriel. “Here it is 30 years later, and it’s still not resolved.”

Added Grand Chief Simon: “What led to that crisis was the simple fact of the ignorance of who we are, our treaty rights. Now we have international laws that support those rights, and despite all that, they still believe we have no rights.”

The land Kanesatake Mohawks occupied centuries ago was more than 600 square kilometres. Today, it’s 12 square kilometres. That’s because treaties were violated, and their land was sold off by the Catholic Church.

“Oka under this should never have existed,” said Grand Chief Simon. “Saint-Joseph, Pointe Calumet, Mirabel – these municipalities should not have existed. But there’s still hope in the relationship. I am trying to show them that the Aboriginal title is not something to fear.

“Had we had access to all this (larger land territory), I bet you every family here would have been well off, good education, good housing, security. There wouldn’t be a need to fight the way we fight.”

RELATED: Tensions over planned archaeological dig in Oka 

As developers continue to build on the disputed land today, Mohawks say there’s still potential for something like the Oka Crisis to happen again.

“All the components are still there, the ignorance is still there, the unwillingness to do the right thing,” said Grand Chief Simon. “There’s a lot of work left to do and hopefully we can do it in time and prevent another one from happening. Because I don’t want to see another one happen like that.”

Recently, a local developer offered an ecological gift to the Mohawks: part of the Pines, the area at the centre of the conflict.

“A stolen piece of land and we’re going to give it to you, with strings attached,” said Gabriel. “That’s not a gift.

“Until there’s a real dedication on Canada’s part to reconcile and resolve land rights, there’s going to be potential for another Oka Crisis.”