Nearly twenty years after the signing of an agreement in principle with the governments of Quebec and Ottawa, the Regroupement Petapan, made up of the three Innu First Nations of Lac-Saint-Jean and the Côte-Nord, is putting pressure on Quebec to put the finishing touches to a treaty that aims to have their ancestral rights and self-determination recognized, the equivalent for them of the James Bay Agreement and the peace of the brave.
“Honestly, if the next Prime Minister makes it a state issue and sends the clear directive that he wants to settle it, I am convinced that we will find common ground by next March,” says Gilbert Dominique, the chief of Mashteuiatsh, in Lac-Saint-Jean, who acts as spokesperson for the Regroupement Petapan.
According to him, an agreement is at hand. In fact, the main issues have been settled with the federal negotiating committee. “With the federal government, we went around the garden, we have what it takes, he says in an interview with the To have to. What we lack is Quebec’s commitment. »
He specifies that it is the Quebec “administrative apparatus” that is resisting, hence the importance of the next prime minister getting personally involved in the file.
Points of difference
There would therefore remain, from the Innu’s point of view, only two important elements on which they cannot agree with Quebec. The first is the recognition that the right to self-determination of First Nations is an “inherent” right.
“It makes a big difference for us, because the right to self-determination is not going to be given to us by the government, it’s an inherent right,” says Chief Dominique.
The second point of divergence concerns the management of the territory. The agreement in principle provides for the recognition of ancestral rights to the territory, royalties on economic development and the participation of the Innu in decision-making. It is this last point that poses a problem, according to Chef Dominique. “We are not in the perspective where we want co-management, but we want to ensure that there is a consultation process that is effective and that respects our rights,” he pleads.
The chief of Mashteuiatsh wants to put an end to the “phony consultations” and “the very reductionist approach” of the current consultation process, which according to him, does not take into consideration the proposals brought by the First Nations.
These are only two points in an agreement valued at more than a billion dollars, but these two points are fundamental for the Innu. “If we can’t find common ground [sur ces deux enjeux]it will derail the train, ”says Gilbert Dominique.
It was not possible on Monday to confirm the status of negotiations with Quebec, but the office of the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations in Ottawa said they were “happy with our good working relationship with the Regroupement Petapan and of the status of the negotiations”.
Impatience
The leaders of Essipit, Nutashkuan and Mashteuiatsh are not hiding their impatience and are demanding results by next spring. In an open letter to political party leaders, published in The duty, they invite the next Prime Minister to “accept this invitation with history”. They also want the parties to make clear commitments during the debate on Aboriginal issues organized by the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, which will take place on Tuesday evening.
“We’ve been negotiating for 40 years, 20 years since we signed an agreement in principle, for us, we’re at the end of the line,” sighs Gilbert Dominique. I met my people [récemment], they told me: if it doesn’t work, we’ll move on. »
This other option, which the Innu are considering, is to go to court to have their rights to the territory recognized. “We don’t want that. But it’s been forty years. And during this time, the territory continues to develop, and we are not involved. It’s gone on long enough. So I think it’s important that we can at least submit a draft treaty to our people in the spring. »
The Regroupement Petapan also wants to take advantage of the “window of opportunity” offered to them by the federal government. “We don’t know what can happen with the Trudeau government, which is in a minority, and we don’t know what can happen with a future government,” recalls Mr. Dominique. This is why the deadline for next spring is an important deadline. »
Chief Gilbert Dominique knows how a change of government can completely change the situation. It was he who, in 2004, ratified the tentative agreement for his community. “At the time, we were carried away, we thought that within five years, we would have a draft treaty. But there were several waves, including one caused by a conservative government that lasted a decade. »
Programs in their image
The agreement in principle, which serves as the basis for the treaty, recognizes the Innu of Lac-Saint-Jean and the North Shore the right to self-determination. They will no longer be subject to the Indian Act and will live in their homes, and no longer on Crown land. “Concretely, that means that we will take charge of our own responsibilities, we will develop our own laws, our own programs, it will no longer be imposed by anyone but us. »
In all areas, whether health, social services, education or public security, the Innu want to develop approaches that respect their values and principles. In particular, they want to focus on restorative justice and develop an educational program based on their culture and history.
“It has often been said that the best approach to improving the lot of our First Nations is to take our own responsibilities, to stop being dependent on the State, concludes Chief Gilbert Dominique. With the treaty, we will have the means to achieve this. And that means that if we mess up, we won’t have time to say: “ah, it’s the government’s fault”. We will be forced to look in the mirror and recognize that it is our fault. »