Re: Doing Away with the Indian Act by Canada's Federal Government

As a full-blooded Mohawk from the Caughnawaga (Kahnawake) Indian Reservation, in Quebec, Canada, I wish to speak to my Indian brothers and sisters across Canada, and to the Canadian Government. I wish to state categorically that the proposed destruction of the Department of Indian (Aboriginal Affairs) is totally illegal and immoral. Once Canadians realize what is really happening, they will rise up in disgust at this outrage,

Canadians for a 150 years have been known around the world as a law abiding society, and believed in upholding Indian Treaty obligations, and the responsibilities to protect our Indian rights as sacred duty to the Creator God in Heaven, and as an important legal obligation.

In the year 1763, the British Government, through the King passed the Royal Proclamation. This law was the basis upon which Indian people across Canada and the United States believed they would be protected from unlawful encroachments upon our sacred lands by immigrants coming to North America from around the world, The Federal Government took upon themselves the sacred and legal British Crown’s duty to protect Indians from these land robbers. The Royal Proclamation was a promise to our people that the Crown would work under the Creator’s guidance to pass legislation so that our fundamental Indian land and personal rights were to be protected as long as the rivers flows and the grass grows, (Eternity) from illegal encroachment by land speculators and land hungry immigrants. In Canada, in 1867 the Federal Government took upon itself the British legal and moral obligation to protect Indian land rights and personal rights.

The British North America Act of 1867 stated clearly that under section 91(24) legislative powers over Indian lands and Indian people are under Federal jurisdiction. The Federal Government had legislative power to enact legislation empowering the central government to set up the Ministry of Indian Affairs, and to administer the lands and the people under the supervisory powers of the Indian Act. The Indians had a protection through the Department of Indian Affairs of Indian lands and our personal rights were to come under Federal responsibility. Rather than the Indian Act being a legislative yoke placed upon Indians, it was actually the vehicle used to protect Indians from being totally dispossessed of their lands, and being robbed of their special rights. If the Provinces had this power, Indians would have lost all their rights a long time ago. The Feds were to protect Indians from the Provinces.

In 1969, under Prime Minister Pierre- Elliott Trudeau, the Federal Government attempted to do away with the special legal status Indians had in Canada, through a proposed White Paper to do away with the Indian Act. Over the years there have been many attempts to do away with the Department of Indian Affairs so that the Indians will be robbed of all their lands by greedy land speculators.

The special legal obligations that Canada has towards Indians has been under attack for generations now. Indian lands across Canada are worth billions upon billions of dollars in the hands of real estate land speculators. If these lands were taken away from the Indians, the Indians would be landless wanderers across North America, dying in the streets of the major North American cities.

A subtle heartlessness has invaded the hearts of the Members of Parliament in Ottawa. There are no more champions of Indian rights in Parliament in Canada today. What has happened instead is that slimy words of false compassion come out of the mouths of the leadership in Parliament. They say we love you, as they hand us over to those who would devour us, ouch!! That hurts.

If this moment in history passes, and the Department of Indian Affairs is no more, people in positions of power, will be crying and bewailing the sad loss of Canada’s Indigenous people. While the real estate tycoons are pocketing billions of loot. The Rich Bosses will tell Canadians we did Canada a favor by getting rid of your heavy burden, we got rid of Canada’s Indian Problem.

Therefore in this letter I am speaking directly to Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, as her Indian brother, “Do you realize what your are doing to your people?” Will you cry when you realize you threw your brothers and sisters into the streets, as you were being used as an instrument to destroy your own people? I believe that you have been deceived, but that is no excuse. You must fix this outrage.

FRANK TAIOTEKANE HORN

Barrister & Solicitor

34 McComber Road North

Akwesasne, Ontario

K6H 5R7

Telephone: 613-935-8882