“Shocking”, “terrible”: political reactions were quick to take place on Friday after the discovery of the bodies of six people Thursday afternoon in the St. Lawrence River, on the Akwesasne reserve which straddles Quebec, the Ontario and New York State. Already, the recent closure of Roxham Road has been pointed out.
“The news from Akwesasne is heartbreaking. I contacted Grand Chief Abram Benedict to express our condolences. Pending further information, my thoughts are with the loved ones of the victims, “said Federal Minister of Public Security Marco Mendicino on Twitter at the start of the day.
At the same time, he assured that the Mohawk police of Akwesasne will be assisted in particular by the Canadian Coast Guard in their investigation.
In Quebec, his counterpart François Bonnardel indicated in the morning that “[his] thoughts are with the community this morning”. “There is an ongoing investigation, we are still waiting for the details. The SQ is in support. We are monitoring the situation closely,” he explained without giving further details. His cabinet also did not wish to go further at this stage of the investigation.
Québec solidaire immigration critic Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, for his part, spoke of “terrible news”, saying “wholeheartedly with the families of the victims”.
“I will follow the evolution of this case carefully, but let’s remember that if people are not allowed to go through regular border crossings, they will continue to cross borders, by ever more dangerous paths. These human tragedies can be avoided, ”said Mr. Cliche-Rivard, who was a lawyer specializing in immigration before being elected.
He was referring to the agreement between Ottawa and Washington reached last Friday to close the Roxham Road crossing, used by thousands of migrants to enter Canada irregularly to seek asylum. The breach was closed the same evening at midnight, a situation that Premier François Legault later called a “very good victory” for Quebec.
Excavations will continue on Friday. According to information from Chief of Police Shawn Dulude transmitted to CBC, a child with a Canadian passport is among the victims. The nationality of the other deceased has not yet been established. It was an overturned boat that was first spotted by a helicopter, triggering the search operation. The grisly discovery was made around 5 p.m. Thursday.
At the Parti Québécois, MP Joël Arseneau spoke on Friday of “sad news”. “Our thoughts are with the families of the victims. We will follow this situation closely. »
By the end of January, Mohawk police in Akwesasne had already received complaints about “suspicious individuals” in the village of Saint-Regis (Kana: takon). Officers then went to the scene before locating four people identified as “foreign nationals”, who were subsequently transferred to Immigration Canada teams.
At that time, local police had urged their community to “be aware of their surroundings, especially those residing near a river system.”
“Persons involved in human smuggling attempted to use the shores of the St. Lawrence in the Kana: takon and Tsi Snaihne areas. Human trafficking is a crime; not only does this pose serious health and safety concerns for the person(s) committing the act, but it endangers the entire community of Akwesasne,” the police force said.
What’s more, in early March, an American smuggler received a five-year prison sentence for human trafficking after helping Indian nationals cross from Canada to the United States via the Saint-Laurent, in the same sector. In April 2022, this smuggler’s boat sank while on the St. Lawrence River, a tributary of the river. The nationals had to be rescued by the Mohawk Police Service.
