On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) stands firm in our commitment to honour the victims and survivors of the residential school system. As Haudenosaunee, we carry the weight of this legacy and its ongoing impacts on our people.
The path to true reconciliation has been obstructed by the unauthorized development of our treaty and traditional lands which is a violation of our sovereign rights and a stark reminder of persistent historical injustices.
Since 2007, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) has witnessed continued colonialism inflicted upon our Nations and Confederacy through the marginalization of traditional Haudenosaunee governance through very colonial indigenous engagement policies.
For too long, the Canadian government has perpetuated its colonial agenda by choosing to engage with the band council system—an imposed governance structure that fails to reflect true Haudenosaunee traditional governance. The elected band council, sustained by chronically low voter turnout, often misrepresents the values and interests of the Haudenosaunee, further advancing the colonial agenda and undermining traditional decision-making processes.
Nearly all proponents developing on Haudenosaunee lands neglect to notify the HDI of their activities. Federal, provincial, and municipal governments similarly fail to communicate their development plans on our treaty and traditional territories, often choosing to inform us through the media, and robbing our government of the right of free, prior, and informed consent.
The Haudenosaunee Development Institute maintains that these systemic gaps are not oversight; they are mechanisms designed to maintain an imbalance of power and deny us our rightful place in decisions that affect our lands and future.
We declare our inalienable right to self-determination and sovereign control over our territories. We affirm that free, prior, and informed consent is not merely a courtesy, but an absolute requirement in all matters pertaining to our lands and resources within the boundaries of our jurisdiction. Furthermore, we maintain that existing development processes must be fundamentally restructured to ensure meaningful and transparent Ongwehonwe (Indigenous) decision-making at every level of development.
HDI reaffirms its unwavering commitment to protecting our lands, asserting our rights, and fostering development that aligns with our values and benefits our people. We will not be placated by hollow gestures or incremental changes. True reconciliation requires a fundamental shift in the balance of power and a genuine commitment to upholding, to the fullest extent, Indigenous engagement obligations.
We call upon the government to acknowledge the deliberate shortcomings in current policies and to work with us in good faith to create a new paradigm of Nation-to-Nation relations. Anything less is a continuation of colonial practices under the guise of reconciliation.
In peace and friendship,
The Haudenosaunee Development Institute
