Vicki, your comments could not be more prudent or properly expressed. Many apologists will try to claim that previous acts by the European settlers provide reason for events like this to occur into perpetuity. This is garbage. Many Canadians (such as myself) have no ancestry that was involved with the subjugation of indigenous peoples in any way. Would we ask a first-generation Canadian to shoulder the blame for events that occurred when their ancestors were residing peacefully on another continent? No. They had nothing to do with it.

You ask why these protesters are able to engage in illegal activity with impunity? Because no one has the will to stop them. We need to organize e-mail campaigns, start petitions and come up other ways to pressure politicians to enforce the laws of this country on EVERYONE. Whether it's the LTTE blocking the 401 or the Warriors blocking the Skyway Bridge, we need to send a message that we are a country that follows the rule of law. Your message here is a great start, but everyone who reads this needs to find out how to contact their local MP and tell them exactly how they feel about selective application of the laws of this country. Tell your friends and neighbors to do the same, regardless of their political affiliation. Next time an election comes up, make this an issue at every debate you can. Tell every candidate that you meet that unless you get a guarantee that they'll push for the uniform enforcement of Canada's laws, they won't get your vote.

Maybe, just maybe, we can change Canada's long-standing policy of appeasing illegal protests to one of forceful application of our laws followed by meaningful discussion with disgruntled groups.

Quite simply, these so-called "warriors" are simply a bunch of thugs who are protesting against the Federal Governments' (both Canadian and US) attempts to shut down the ILLEGAL transport of weapons, drugs and contraband cigarettes back and forth across the NATIONAL borders.

The last time I checked this country was called CANADA and as citizens we are ALL bound to obey it's laws. Blockading infrastructure that is used by ALL citizens is illegal. Full stop.

Any pretence by these thugs that their actions are simply the results of decades or centuries of perceived unfair treatment of their "civilization" is simply a red herring that they are using to hide their true desire: to keep the illegal smuggling trade going.

Do what the Feds haven't got the guts to do: sting them where it hurts...stop frequenting their casinos, stop buying their cigarettes.

Hello Vicki Leversedge,

I have been following the recent events in Akwesasne/Cornwall Island and the blockade on the Skyway Bridge. Certainly, I can understand your concerns with attending to your family’s needs and the ability to get to them as quickly as possible or even the larger issue with people getting to and from work.

You should know that the Mohawk Tribal Council has issued this statement on their website, Akwesasne.ca, regarding the blockade on the bridge, “The Mohawks of Akwesasne state, once again, that it never was nor is it, our people’s desire to act in a manner that would negatively impact our efforts to seek a diplomatic resolution.”

The Tribal Council in Akwesasne along with the Tribal Council of Tyendinaga have indicated that they do not support this bridge blockade action and have requested for native and non-native to either light fires in support and/or contact your MP and requesting for the provincial and federal Canadian authorities to engage in a conversation with the Tribal Council in Akwesasne

As a suggestion, why don’t you try this? When you are not in a situation when you have to get to your family quickly, why don’t you go to the Skyway Bridge and explain to the Mohawk protester/supporters your personal predicament. I am sure that you can expect that the protestors/supporters will hear your concerns AND they may also explain to you their sentiment on why it is they are holding a blockade.

It may not grant you passage over the bridge, but it will grant you this: a different perspective on the situation, even if it comes from a group of protestors you or perhaps others currently perceive as people who are conducting illicit activities in blockading the bridge.

I agree whole-heartedly with a statement that the previous commentator, Marcus, has made. When the Mohawk people declare that they are not Canadian, they ARE NOT Canadian. They are Mohawk. Mohawks are a recognized Nation by the Canadian government, with their own political entity and Constitution, with a [supposed] government-to-government relationship with the Canadian government.

The Mohawks in Akwesasne have repeatedly attempted to have a government-to-government discourse about not only the human rights abuses at the border crossings, but also the fact that they do not wish for the CBSA to have guns at a border crossing within a residential district in Akwesasne.

This is for, at least one reason, that over 30 complaints have been lodged with either the Tribal Council or the Canadian Human Rights Commission regarding racial-profiling tactics, infringement on civil liberties, and flat-out assaults and abuse by some CBSA officers. Contact the Canadian Human Rights Commission – I did and a representative there gave me some enlightening information on the Commission’s own concerns about abusive CBSA officers and that the provincial and federal authorities are not having a meaningful conversation in working cooperatively on this issue with the Mohawk Nation.

What I am suggesting is to learn about and reflect upon the "bigger picture", and it could be that are already in the process of doing so. I am also suggesting that don’t rely heavily on this notion to request the Canadian government to ‘crackdown’ on native Nations.

If you read all the news articles on this issue, you will see numerous commentators writing in and making statements that can be summed up in this way: they are sick and tired of the government officials not doing anything in regards to these recent events. Somebody else commented, even after your article the following, “We need to organize e-mail campaigns, start petitions and come up other ways to pressure politicians to enforce the laws of this country on EVERYONE” and to “contact their local MP”.

Why not recognize that all these MP’s and politicians don’t necessarily live in, nearby, or next to your own community, and that there is a problem if the dialogue with native communities and native Nations, who again, supposedly have a government-to-government relationship with Canada, is left up to only the politicians?

Why don’t the actual people, native and non-native, who live side-by-side to each other have a meaningful conversation with one another? Why can’t your ordinary, average, non-native person in your own community take a step of courage and sincerity – even if you are hesitant and have the burning question in your mind: why I am the one doing this - and approach the Mohawks themselves and ask some question, to gain an understanding on their perspective of history, land rights, treaty rights, assimilation/colonization policies, and the current abuses occurring in Akwesasne and other native Nations across Canada. And why it is they proceed to blockade a bridge.

Why rely on the Canadian government to have this conversation for you?

Let the protestors/supporters at the blockade know how it personally affects your life. Of course, they need to hear out and understand your perspective too -this is as equally important.

If you do this, you may or may not conclude that what the protestors/supporters at the Skyway Bridge are engaging is still is illicit activity, but I am sure you would gain an insight about Mohawk people, that perhaps you have never heard before.

I am not a native person myself, but members of my family are. Throughout my life, I have taken numerous steps towards a real conversation with native communities, native people, and native Nations that you live alongside with. It goes a long way in fostering and achieving an understanding with one another.

I can only hope that there will be more every-day, average, native/non-native people that will muster the courage, sincerity, and compassion to approach one another, to learn what the other is actually about, instead of letting the media and the government have this conversaton FOR us.

Jemilla; I do agree with what you have said, but you also must remember that I do know this individual group. I am not a person quick to judge, and I am very open-minded. I have grown up next door to the reserve and through family ties and participation, I have come to greatly respect the rich culture that is so close to me. I am not arguing the legitimacy of their claims, just the methods. And what I said before is true, they are here to protest for protest's sake, and are hiding behind a legitimate banner to do so. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have seen these individuals turn to violence and death threats.

This is all about cigarettes not native rights.
When the bridge at cornwall was closed it cut off the supply of smokes to the Rez.
No smokes, No money!

Hi Vicki,

I appreciate your commentary to my post and I could tell very much in your original article that you are an open-minded person and not quick to judge. Thank you for your clarification in stating that you don’t have an argument with the legitimacy of the claims, just the methods. I definitely trust and respect your information and/or experience that you feel that the protestors have turned to violence and death threats – it is good to hear your perspective on that and your sentiments about it, as afterall, you live in the immediate area and are impacted by the blockade.

I hope you know that with my first post and I think you understood that – that I was attempting to address a “larger” issue with native and non-native communities and people who may not have a dialogue with one another and learn about another. I always hope that this can be achieved, but of course, there may always be BOTH native and non-native elements who don’t want that for a plethora of different reasons. And that is a shame and, of course, the lack of dialogue will never get native and non-native communities anywhere. We all life side-by-side each other now, regardless of what has happened in the historical shaping of Canada (and the United States). Yet, I always feel that there are always opportunities to improve education and the learning process about different groups, people, histories, and cultures, within each country in order to facilitate a meaningful discourse with one another.

It is truly wonderful to hear that you have taken those steps or initatives and has the ability to express your insight, ideas, and opinions. Have you considered writing more about this issue or your experiences? I can say I am greatly interested in hearing them.

Certainly, I hope for your sake and for everyone else, that you are able to get quickly enough to your family.

All the best to you Vicki!

If any other gang took control of the bridge, the RCMP would be dispersing them. The RCMP needs to get off their rear ends and get to work. Clear these people off the bridge and get the traffic flowing again.

Hi Jemilla;

Thank you so much for your kind words, and yes, I did understand that you were focusing on the bigger picture and the main issues. That is actually the real travesty here. Because of the grandstanding, the point of all of this is being completely lost.

I think in a great many ways, your opinions and mine are very similar. Honestly, for most of my life, my experiences with the reserve have been nothing but positive. My mother is a supply teacher and has spent a great deal of time at the local public school. She was good friends with the principle at the time, and growing up I was afforded the privilege of attending many of the school's seasonal festivals - my favourite being the strawberry festival.

My initial thoughts and impressions are all positive. Their culture is beautiful and they are a good people. It is because of this that I do try very hard not to let current events and these few individuals colour my outlook; however, the threats I mentioned? - previous protest. Some of them were aimed at my family.

Now we did not/could not believe there would be any follow through, but still, hearing them scream that not only did they want to rape my then sister-in-law, but they were going to kill my brother and his 2-year-old child? Yes, tempers were flared on both sides, but that crosses a very scary line. Usually, I can ignore words, but I am very close to my baby brother and extremely close his son. I love my nephew as if he were my own.

I am sure any mother would find it very difficult to look past these words, bluster or not. This is why I feel so passionate about this particular group, and admittedly, my focus sometimes does drop from the big picture. I am only human after all. I have found though, that these forums have been very helpful in trying to bring the appropriate issues to light. I just fear that those who are fed up with the protesters will out number everyone else, and all of this will be for naught, on both sides. And to play devil's advocate, I can understand that too. I think my word of the evening is "frustration".

It's all over...for now...thankfully it ended peacefully. Personally, I believe that mark from Picton hit the nail on the head...the blockade at the skyway bridge had nothing to do with aboriginal rights - or the lack thereof - it had nothing to do with clean drinking water, disputed land or the laundry list of neglect and abuse natives have suffered. This blockade was about illegal tobacco. The REAL issues get used to justify it, but the sad fact is all these people really care about is keeping the steady flow of cigarettes from the states to the rez.

If they don't consider themselves to be Canadians, does that mean Canada does not have to support them through Indian Affairs?