Land acknowledgment by Montreal Canadiens may be a mistake: Quebec Indigenous affairs minister – Montreal

Quebec Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière says a Montreal Canadiens’ land acknowledgment that refers to unceded territory of the Mohawk Nation could also be a mistake.

The assertion, which since Saturday has been learn earlier than the NHL crew’s dwelling video games, acknowledges the Kanien’keha:ka, or Mohawks, for his or her hospitality on what it refers to as “conventional and unceded territory.”

Lafrenière instructed reporters that whereas it’s essential to acknowledge that First Nations had been right here earlier than others, the assertion could also be inaccurate as a result of it enters into an space that’s the topic of debate between historians.

He says it’s unclear who had been the primary folks in what’s now Montreal.

On Tuesday, Opposition Liberal Chief Dominique Anglade praised the crew’s determination to introduce a land acknowledgment, saying it sends an essential message.

Nonetheless, Parti Québécois Chief Paul St-Pierre Plamondon stated it’s a mistake to state that Montreal is unceded Mohawk territory.