Canada Cannibalizes Mohawk Elders

MNN.  May 3, 2007.  Canada is bankrupt in more ways than one.  It’s morally bankrupt in what it’s trying to do to the elders of Akwesasne Mohawk community. 

When tyranny sets into a country, it starts by attacking the fringes of society who are the weakest - the Indigenous people, elders, homeless, youth, babies and welfare recipients.  Then they slowly work their way into the core of society. 

After receiving a letter from the Canadian government, on May 2 there was a meeting of elders called in Akwesasne at the old age home.  It was attended by Mohawks up to 90 years old and beyond.  This is a new attack on us.  Canada seems bent on showing us they have no conscience, as if we didn’t already know that.

Canada wants the elders to sign waivers so they can investigate their “worldwide income”.  The United States government has already given Canada all this information anyway.  Right now they can’t use it because the elders have to give their consent.  Once they get it, they can get any information anywhere and use it.   

Some of us have had so many jobs, we can’t even remember them all.  We aren’t at the top of the corporate hierarchy where we can hire platoons of lawyers and accountants to help us get away with murder. 

Canada, you’re playing hardball with our old folks.  It’s like a “shakedown by gangsters”.   The civil servant, otherwise known as the “loan shark”, showed up at the meeting, faced the elders, and told them in no uncertain terms, “If you don’t sign these waivers in 60 days, you’re done for”.  The trucks will be here to take away your wheel chairs, oxygen tanks and convalescent beds.  You’re reminding us what a rotten system you have.  We should ask Hugo Chavez for help.   Viva Hugo Chavez!

They want to cut off our pensions sooner because of the huge influx of the “baby boomers” coming up to pension age real soon.   They just don’t want us to enjoy a peaceful old age.  They are meddling into our lives and private affairs just to put pressure on us.  Is it a make work program for civil servants?  Or is it part of a generalized cultural belief that it is proper to harass lndigenous people by any means possible?  That pressure might kill some of us off.  Obviously, you don’t care.  We’re just living too long for your purposes. 

Ottawa has thousands of these “economic hit men” who are ready to converge on other people after they successfully wipe out the Mohawk elders. 

We are not part of Canada.  You are squatting on our land.  Stop harassing your landlords.  These pensions are due to us because we are denied use of our territory to make a living on. 

Canada, you’re on the verge of hysteria to go after our old people.  You are afraid you’re not going to be able to eat unless you get rid of what you call “useless eaters”.  This phrase was coined by Henry Kissinger.  So you attack the weakest, our elders, whom you plan to throw out with no money.  Why, because Canada is taking orders from the U.S.   Because of how you treated us, you cursed our land for yourselves.  To save yourselves you must pay homage to us. 

Canada, are you going crazy?  What’s wrong?  What you’re doing reminds us of the sinking of the Titanic!  As the ship was going down, they kept the poor people down in the holes.  The rich people were jumping into the lifeboats and killing each other to get on.  They pushed and shoved women and children out of the way.  This happens when the ship goes down.

The rich think they can escape the devastation.  One way or another the invaders to Turtle Island are going down.  That is why you are starting to attack and cannibalize our weak.  Then slowly you’ll go after everybody else.  

Canada, you are going against all natural laws by doing away with the weak – the minorities, old age pensions, mother’s allowance, welfare and other pensions and social services like medicare.  You have turned around everything that is natural for the sake of filthy lucre.  Instead of honoring the owners of the land, you’re hell-bent on putting us in the line of fire first.   

Is this pushing Indigenous people into thinking about going off the grid and surviving “underground”?

We hear there is an Ombudsman Privacy Commission in Ottawa appointed by the loan shark’s henchmen.  If you can drag him away from his fancy lunch at the Parliamentary restaurant, they could put their mind onto protecting peoples’ rights to confidentiality.  The government pays them.  Do you think they are going to object if the government wants to intrude on everybody’s life? 

The old are afraid.  We worked for these pensions, no matter where.  Getting a delegation to go to Ottawa won’t mean much unless we have support from all our friends and allies.   

If the person refuses to sign, families will have to take them out of hospital and care for them at home.  The elders were told they can be charged criminally.  Under what section of the Criminal Code will they be charged?  It looks like a new crime has been invented without the sanction of parliament.  It’s like taking away our children to residential schools to be killed by threatening to charge us criminally. 

In Canadian tax law the government says they have a right to know about the worldwide income of all its citizens.  Firstly, we are not Canadians and never will be.  If that’s the case, then why do they need our permission to get this information legally?  Obviously they can’t have this information unless we allow it.   

If we are receiving both U.S. and Canadian pensions, they will not cut us off completely, they say.  Pensions are really government run insurance schemes, not income.  Are they going to cut off private insurance next?  They have no rights to the proceeds of an insurance scheme.     

They want to create criminals out of nothing! They have been selective about their victims.  They want to steal those pensions that Indigenous people have worked for legitimately in the U.S. and paid their dues.  Canada wants to lower their money and benefits in Canada. 

The government “hit man” told them, “We could be hard on you if you don’t sign these documents”.  How much courage does it take to browbeat a 90 year old in a wheel chair or a 100 year old in a convalescent bed?   

Should we trust them?  If you give them an inch, they will take a mile.  What they are trying is illegal.  They want to search anywhere in the world for information about us.  This waiver will be used to check anything they want, bank accounts, go into our communities and even look under our beds.  This will give them carte blanche and give the Gestapo economic police a right to check for any hidden money.   Even in our bras!  Isn’t this a real invasion of privacy? 

We shouldn’t sign this.  Us elders should say, “F—k you”.  We won’t let you economically blackmail us to give up our right to privacy.  Hope they don’t plan to do cavity searches! 

They cannot make us sign papers that give all rights over us.  You can be sure the rich elites don’t have to put up with this.  They are the ones busy putting this thievery into effect.  A pickpocket has more class.  At least he’ll drop your wallet in an alley so we can get back our ID.  But the government keeps everything.    In other words, we are the richest poor people in the world.   

Tell Prime Minister Stephen Harper harper.s@parl.gc.ca; Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice prentice.j@parl.gc.ca; Governor General of Canada at gg@gg.gc.ca; and anyone else you can think of to stop this genocide.  Nia:wen.

Kahentinetha Horn

MNN Mohawk Nation News