The Quebec government should clearly display its hostility to the federal Chalk River nuclear dump project, say indigenous representatives and the leader of the Bloc Québécois.
“The call to take a stand against the Chalk River nuclear waste dump is for everyone. Including the Quebec government, all parties in the National Assembly,” Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said Monday.
His party held a press briefing in Ottawa to reiterate its call to halt the proposed nuclear waste disposal site in Chalk River, near the Ottawa River that serves as the border between Ontario and Quebec. He was joined by Kebaowek Algonquin Nation Chief Lance Haymond and Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) Chief Ghislain Picard.
The latter asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to demonstrate that the most important relationship for his government is the one with indigenous peoples — as he claims — by rejecting the project. He also invited the Quebec government to become the spokesperson for the Algonquin nation, which is opposed to the project and whose traditional “unceded” territory spans both provinces.
“The Quebec government should take this into account [de l’opposition de cette Nation au projet]and most certainly at least express a position,” added Chief Picard.
The Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) government has not officially taken a position on the project. At most, its Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, says he has shared his “concerns” with Ottawa on the subject, and is asking in particular for better consultations with indigenous people. Québec solidaire and the Parti québécois have asked him to take sides.
In Ottawa, the Bloc Québécois has been championing the issue of opposition to the Chalk River nuclear waste site for several years, particularly due to fears of contamination of the Ottawa River, a major tributary of the St. Lawrence River.
“There are people in the government [du Québec] to whom I spoke and who share my position, specifies Yves-François Blanchet. I hope that it can become a formal position, which will influence Ottawa.”
For its part, the Kebaowek community has gone to court to block the project, arguing that Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has conducted only “perfunctory” consultations with Indigenous peoples. Its chief Lance Haymond also alleged Monday that the project’s proponent is violating the Wildlife Act by blocking access to black bear dens.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) authorized in January the construction of “a near-surface waste management facility” on the site of the Chalk River laboratories. About a hundred municipalities bordering the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers, including Montreal and Gatineau, are publicly contesting this decision.