Misfortunes continue to overwhelm the small village of Natashquan. Those who read my opinion letter published on July 6 in the Ideas section of Duty know how tensions between villagers and their Innu neighbours are disrupting the peace of the village. The reactions to this speech were as numerous as they were touching. More importantly, a dialogue may perhaps open up between representatives of Natashquan and those of the Nutashkuan reserve to try to build bridges. But now, in this context where opportunities for rapprochement between our communities are vital, our governments are jeopardizing the Innucadie festival which, as its name indicates, has been showcasing the two neighbouring cultures, Innu and Acadian, for 18 years now.
Funding is no longer there, as is the case for the local newspaper. The Porter who can no longer pay their only journalist following the cancellation of a federal grant. The managers of the local journalism initiative program claim that the $58 million they were granted no longer allows them to subsidize “less necessary” initiatives. One might wonder what is more necessary than promoting rapprochement between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in this country where the Prime Minister spends his time apologizing to First Nations for the mistreatment they suffer. Here, we do not apologise profusely, but we do try to improve the dialogue. The community newspaper The Porter and the Innucadie festival are the few tools we have locally to promote this dialogue. We cannot help but think, among other things, in light of the disappointments of the North Shore health system that have made headlines recently, that for governments, our country, which is not a country, is both out of sight and out of mind.
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