Mohawk Mothers Fight Montreal’s McGill University In Court

On June 11, 2024, Kanien'kehá:ka Kahnistensera (the Mohawk Mothers) met Montreal’s McGill University in court to fight against McGill’s excavation of the area around the former Royal Victoria Hospital and Allan Memorial Institute, where human remains are said to be buried.

According to the Kanien'kehá:ka Kahnistensera, survivor testimony, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and three searches by forensic dogs all point to Indigenous as well as non-Indigenous remains on the site. 

The Allan Memorial Institute was home to the infamous MKUltra mind control experiments conducted by the United States C.I.A. Due to the secretive nature of the project, it is unknown what the full extent of the experiments was, including deaths.

McGill University and its partner the SQI (the Quebec government’s infrastructure agency) are currently excavating the site, in breach of previous agreements with the Kanien'kehá:ka Kahnistensera and a court order to protect the site.

The Kanien'kehá:ka Kahnistensera are concerned about the graves of children in particular, that McGill is refusing to share data with the Indigenous titleholders and caretakers of the land and using equipment designed for mining on a site that should be handled with more delicate archeology tools.

According to the Kanien'kehá:ka Kahnistensera and their allies, the fight is still ongoing. This is only the first of many possible court battles. It is unknown if McGill University is willing to go to the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn the safeguard order put in place in the previous court ruling, but Indigenous activists and their supporters say it is possible.