(Montreal) The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador wants CAQ MP for Abitibi-Est Pierre Dufour to leave office, following his remarks last week regarding a Radio-Canada report on allegations of police abuse of Aboriginal women and the conclusions of the Commission of Inquiry into Relations between Aboriginal Peoples and Certain Public Services in Quebec.
The Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, Ghislain Picard, believes that the only “honorable” thing that Mr. Dufour can do is to resign, because of his “contemptuous and unworthy” assertions.
During the May 15 meeting of the Val-d’Or city council, Mr. Dufour was called upon to speak following discussions on the issue of homelessness in the municipality.
After praising the assistance measures offered by the Legault government on this issue, the member for Abitibi-Est declared that the municipal council of Val-d’Or inherited a “heap of shit”, “which been created particularly since 2015 when there was the show Investigationa show full of lies”, when he arrived in office.
Broadcast in October 2015, the report highlighted the testimony of Indigenous women from Val-d’Or who revealed that they had been abused by certain police officers. This investigation had also contributed to the triggering of the commission of inquiry chaired by Judge Jacques Viens, which the CAQ MP also skinned.
Mr. Dufour deplored that the municipality of Val-d’Or did not better defend the police officers concerned when the report of the Viens commission “said that the police were racializing the Aboriginal people, because they were giving more tickets to the homeless “, according to the deputy.
Mr. Dufour later apologized on his Facebook account, pleading that he “expressed himself under emotion and (that) certain words exceeded (his) thought”, but Mr. Picard believes that this is not is not enough.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, he argued that Mr. Dufour’s message is “inexcusable”, especially coming from an elected member of the Quebec government.