On November 9th, 2018 the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) unveiled trilingual signage at the Cornwall port of entry (POE).
This signage, that now has Mohawk in addition to English and French, was developed in partnership with members of the Akwesasne Community and is found above each primary inspection lane indicating whether a lane is open or not. The trilingual signage is intended to make the POE more respectful of members of the Mohawk community.
The Cornwall port of entry is the first location in Canada to have signage in the Mohawk language and is representative of ongoing efforts by the CBSA to work in partnership and respect with indigenous communities.
In 2017-2018, over 1.5 million travellers were processed at the POE. Of these, 1,050,000 were residents of the Mohawk communities of St. Regis and Akwesasne.
“Akwesasronon make up almost 70% of the traffic that is processed at the CBSA Cornwall Port. For many residents/elders in our community, Kanienkeha/Mohawk is their first language," said Abram Benedict, Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. "The use of our language on the signage at the Port of Entry is an acknowledgment of daily users of the crossing, and the fact that the port is on traditional Akwesasne lands. We wish to continue to advance our partnership with CBSA in order to meet the needs of Akwesasronon.”
Ensuring an efficient and secure border is important to Canada and its economy. Almost $2.5 billion dollars’ worth of two-way trade passes between Canada and the United States every day, in addition to more than 400,000 travellers.
“I’m very pleased with the new trilingual signage in Cornwall that has been developed in partnership with the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne," said John Ossowski, President of Canada Border Services Agency. "Our relationship with the Akwesasne community is important and the new signage is but one step on the CBSA path towards reconciliation.”
This collaboration is a step in continuing to build a Nation-to-Nation relationship.