The leaders of three Innu communities have just made public a letter they addressed to Prime Minister Legault accusing him of letting the signing of the Petapan treaty drag on for a year, the agreement in principle of which was signed in 2001 by Minister Benoît Pelletier , as responsible minister, on behalf of the government of Quebec. Recently deceased, Mr. Pelletier, an eminent jurist who had studied the agreement in principle in depth, must certainly be disappointed by this retrograde attitude. Especially since the federal minister has already accepted the draft treaty since March 31 of last year.
According to the leaders, Quebec is even calling into question certain key elements of the agreement in principle that have already been accepted. This is downright incomprehensible given the reputation of openness to Indigenous people that Quebec had acquired since the leadership shown by Mr. René Lévesque in the last century.
Quebec must do what is necessary to finalize the negotiations without further delay. It is time for Prime Minister Legault, who refuses even to meet with the leaders, to take responsibility and bring his recalcitrant civil servants to order.
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