The ball is now in the provincial government’s court as the federal Indigenous services minister commits to moving flood prone Kashechewan First Nation to higher ground.
Thunder Bay MP Don Rusnak says there’s lots of work to be done but one of the main things is getting the requested provincial land turned over to the Canadian government.
He says it’s a complex process and without the land transfer from the province “nothing can happen.”
The Liberal MP says the province and federal government have been in talks about the transfer.
Meantime, earlier this week the leadership of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation suggested if Kashechewan was non-native they would have action already, and flooded Ottawa areas got an immediate response including the army.
Rusnak says the Canadian Armed Forces was never asked to come to Kashechewan adding “the military just doesn’t show up where they are not asked and especially in a First Nation community…I don’t think it would be accepted.”
