Hydro-Québec’s trial for its “institutional bad faith” during negotiations held in 2014 with an Innu community for the construction of the Romaine complex resumed on Monday. One of the negotiators from the indigenous community deplored the lack of transparency of the state corporation as well as the division left as a legacy within the community.
“I am going to make a prediction,” said Rosario Pinette, former Innu negotiator, calmly during his hearing: “I do not know if one day we will see in our lifetime, Mr. Judge, another agreement [entre Hydro-Québec et notre communauté]. »
During his testimony, he recalled several times that the bond of trust between the Innu communities of Uashat and Mani-utenam and Hydro-Québec had considerably crumbled over the years. In 2014, Hydro-Québec’s withdrawal from discussions leading to a final agreement was “insulting,” he said.
“We are not a board of directors facing another board of directors. We are a society [dont la gouverne] has an honor to defend, he declared. It is a band council that is democratic and carries out a democratic exercise by referendum. And on the other side, we see another part [Hydro-Québec] who does not respect his commitments. From my point of view, I find this brutal. It’s a bit of a continuation of what colonialism and imperialism brought to the First Nations: brutality. »
These communities as well as the Takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-utenam band council are currently suing Hydro-Québec, believing that the state-owned company demonstrated “institutional bad faith” during the negotiation of an agreement in principle, in 2014, concerning the construction of the Romaine hydroelectric complex.
This agreement in principle provided for the negotiation of a final agreement between the community and Hydro-Québec to resolve issues relating to royalties and financial compensation, i.e. the payment of $75 million spread over a period of 60 years.
However, no final agreement has been signed to date. Hydro-Québec withdrew from discussions due to dissension within the community. “The breakdown of the social fabric and the generation of internal conflicts were now well established within the community,” we read in the court documents.
The state-owned company then indicated that it wanted to resume discussions when the disputes within the community were resolved. By acting in this way, Hydro-Québec adopted “an unreasonable and intransigent position, thus making it impossible to reach a final agreement,” according to the community.
These Innu are today asking the court to declare the 2014 agreement in principle “null, null and void” and are demanding $15 million in damages. The hearings will continue in Montreal this week.