A Mohawk highway blockade has been stopping traffic for two days on a major road near Kanesatake over a policing deal reached without the consensus of the band council.

Three dissident chiefs say they're upset Grand Chief James Gabriel struck a policing deal with Ottawa without consulting the band council. Steven Bonspille, Pearl Bonspille and John Harding want Ottawa to deal directly with them, and not their legally elected chief.

"We'd like to hear from them face-to-face. I think it's important that some dialogue starts to resolve this as quickly as possible," Pearl Bonspille told CFCF.

The deal Gabriel struck with the government allows Mohawks currently on the Kanesatake force to be replaced by Cree and Mi'kmaq officers.

The three chiefs involved in the blockade are demanding that all police officers who patrol the reserve be Mohawks. They also want to have a say in the policing budget.

Talks with the Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault failed to end the standoff on Tuesday. "At this point we're trying to sort out who's running the community," he said.

The blockade on Highway 344 means that all traffic except school buses, emergency vehicles and local traffic is being turned back. Store owners are complaining that business is down.

"Setting up blockades is not going to change the dynamics of the council and/or the issues within the community," Nault told Canadian Press.

Oka Mayor Yvan Patry told CFCF that no one wants to relive what happened in 1990 when the Mohawk community was at the heart of the 78-day Oka standoff. He also said a blockade was not the way to end the current dispute.