A major summit will bring together indigenous women from all the First Nations of Quebec, this spring in the capital, to look at the progress made, but above all to chart the path that remains to be taken before their rights are fully respected.
“It will be a historic moment,” says the president of Native Women of Quebec (FAQ), Marjolaine Étienne. This will be, to my knowledge, a first for indigenous women, to be able to have a platform, to be able to express themselves, to be able to provide their own solutions. »
The major summit, organized from May 13 to 16 in the wake of FAQ’s half-century of existence, comes at the right time. Fifty years of struggle have enabled indigenous women to carve out a place for themselves in society, and, notes Marjolaine Étienne, more and more of them are occupying decision-making positions and getting involved within their communities.
Awareness is also being awakened regarding indigenous realities, sadly highlighted by the tragedies that have punctuated the news in recent years. The investigation into missing or murdered indigenous women and girls, the death of Joyce Echaquan at the Joliette hospital, the rates of suicide, incarceration and homelessness still disproportionately high among the indigenous population: everything recalls the urgency to continue on the path to reconciliation, according to Marjolaine Étienne.
An open society, a more obtuse government
“Quebec society has fully understood the magnitude of the cause of indigenous women,” indicates the president of FAQ. If the non-natives show them more and more solidarity, it is different from the government, in his eyes. In a concise open letter published last fall, Marjolaine Étienne denounced the “fine speeches” and the “extremely weak” action of Quebec “in view of the historical and current context of our peoples”.
“The Quebec government still does not want to recognize systematic racism against women and their families,” she recalls. However, this is not an invented notion: we see systematic racism in our reports. This is a reality based on facts. »
She takes the example of “current policies” with “colonial” overtones that persist in Quebec, particularly in social services and health care.
“Let’s take the report that came out regarding forced sterilization among First Nations women. There is the case of a young woman who mentioned having undergone forced sterilization in 2019. The report contained the testimony of around thirty participants spread across Quebec. What we observe is that this is an issue that affects every corner of the province. »
“Restore the pride of women”
Some files are stagnating in Quebec, but others are unblocking in Ottawa. The Supreme Court of Canada recently unanimously recognized the constitutionality of a law which authorizes indigenous communities to take responsibility for the protection of their youth. A decision “long-awaited by the women of the First Nations of Quebec” and warmly welcomed by their representative.
The Quebec government still does not want to recognize systematic racism against women and their families. However, this is not an invented notion.
“It will restore the pride of indigenous women,” says Marjolaine Étienne enthusiastically. Removing children from their cultural and family environment to take them to services outside the community created rifts and removed the role of transmitter of our languages and ancestral knowledge which rested on women before colonization. The decision gives this responsibility back to mothers. »
At a time when the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, is finalizing his next budget, FAQ is refraining from formulating quantified requests “before women [aient] identified possible solutions” during the summit. “I prefer that they express themselves, that it comes from the base. It is for them that I work, and the summit will offer them a platform to draw up a future plan to defend the First Nations. »
Marjolaine Étienne, elected president of FAQ in December 2021 for a three-year term, dodges the question of a possible second term. “Ah, my God,” she said. I’m in such a state of mind to organize the big summit…”
The latter must bring together at the Hilton hotel at least 160 participants from all Quebec First Nations. “To my knowledge,” concludes Marjolaine Étienne, “a meeting of this magnitude has never been seen in Quebec. »