Another mess left to clean

JAMES “RAGTIME-COWBOY-JOE” GABRIEL OF KANEHSATAKE, WHATCHA GONNA DO NOW? SQ, RCMP, GOONS, QUEBEC & FEDS “OVERSPENT”!

Kahentinetha Horn
MNN. Oct. 17, 2006. CBC news revealed that a federal report shows that $34 million was handed over to Indian Affairs’ darling, James Gabriel, through a dummy corporation. They say it was meant for “security” for the sleepy rural community between 2003 and 2006.

James Gabriel begged the government to give him money to set up his own militia to fight against his fantasy that there was “organized crime” rampant on Kanehsatake. Canada and Quebec gave him the money. He hired 67 men from all walks of life, dressed them in uniforms, put lethal weapons in their hands and gave them the top of the line police cars to patrol less than 1,300 peaceful Indigenous people. Needless to say, the community was offended. They wouldn’t let them into the community. Everyone knew these “goons” were illegitimate because of the bizarre history of Indian Affairs.

On January 12th 2004 the militia embarked on a “coup” of Kanehsatake. They descended on the community to take over the police station and the band council house. They ended up inside the police station surrounded by curious unarmed men, women pushing strollers, young people and elder members of the community. The heavily armed militia was supposedly held “hostage”. It didn’t stop them from ordering out for pizza. Many members of the community were charged.

James Gabriel’s response to the report, “Sure, it was costly!” He sent all his requests for money to Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada. He said that Ottawa and Quebec City signed off on everything he asked for.

Here’s a summary of his invoices for “services rendered”:

$2 million Price Waterhouse who took over after his “mismanagement” of Kanehsatake funds, then put millions through the stolen corporation. We know it didn’t go to the Indigenous people;

$2.5 million Support for the Grand Chief James Gabriel;

$2.6 million James Gabriel’s militia – uniforms, weapons, cars, police station in Laval;

$197,000 Salary for police chief, Terry Isaac, for 11 months of work;

$26.7 million Double billing, double pay, overtime and other professional fees, sometimes paid twice for the same days;

TOTAL:

$34 million This went to the stolen corporation run by the federal government’s court appointed “chief”. $34 million for 1300 people, of which half are under 20 years of age, would be enough to hire someone at $50,000 a year to follow every adult in Kanehsatake.

Apparently James Gabriel bought 3 brand new police cars for less than $1,000. Among the weapons was a silencer which is not a standard police weapon. It’s usually for covert work by commandos like the JTF2. U.S. Commandos carry this type of weapon. The other $26.7 million just disappeared and the SQ, RCMP, the band council, Quebec and Indian Affairs don’t know what happened to it! In our view it’s entirely possible that they divided it up between themselves.

A corporation was set up after the 1990 Oka Crisis known as “Coalition de Mohawk de Kanehsatake” by four groups in the community. Once an election was held it was forgotten. But secretly it was stolen by James Gabriel, Clarence Simon and Leona Bonspille who signed on as the new owners without informing the original owners. All Kanehsatake programs and other monies were siphoned through this stolen corporation. The people could not find out anything about cutbacks to all their programs. Nobody would answer any of their questions. Quebec Public Security Minister, Jacques Chagnon, is now singing like a canary and said that James Gabriel was “acting like a cowboy”. Given the court’s treatment of those upright community members who try to defend law and order, we don’t blame James Gabriel for not wanting to be an Indian!

Criminal charges could be laid against James “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” Gabriel. As the song goes, he’ll be singing raggedy music in the court to the federal “cows” and the Quebec “sheep”. Or he might even end up swinging back and forth ‘cause he’s a hifalutin’, scootin’, shootin’ son-of-a-gun from Kanehsatake, Ragtime Cowboy Joe. Hee haw!

Kahentinetha Horn