In early October, Joliette city council adopted a plan containing dozens of measures to tackle the racism and discrimination suffered by Indigenous people. However, the community is unclear why it was not involved in the design of the plan, which is still received positively.
“It is a dated issue. We know that there is racism and problems with living together in Joliette, as in the whole of the Lanaudière region ”, told the To have to the mayor, Pierre-Luc Bellerose, who was elected by acclamation to replace Alain Beaudry, who did not represent himself.
The “Reconciliation plan with the indigenous community”, of which The duty obtained a copy through the Access to Information Act, contains seven “actions” broken down into 44 “activities”. These “actions” are inspired in particular by the recommendations contained in the report of the Viens commission tabled a few years ago, after an investigation into the relations between the Aboriginals and certain public services in Quebec. If it was developed and adopted under the old administration, the new mayor wants to follow it up. “For me, that is part of the priorities of my mandate as mayor of Joliette,” he says.
However, the director of the Lanaudière Native Friendship Center (CAAL) has difficulty understanding how an action plan for reconciliation with the Native community can be designed without the input of First Nations members.
“They informed us of their action plan, but they did not consult us. It’s a very different way of doing things, ”emphasizes Jennifer Brazeau, who says she wants to build a collaborative relationship, on an equal footing, with the City of Joliette’s interlocutors.
“It shows their will [de construire des ponts]. I see the openness and I find that positive, but for the ways of doing things, we would have to talk to each other. I find it hard to see myself making an action plan that involves the City without asking them if they are ready to participate, she said. I find that disturbing. “
“We have read the document, but we have not been consulted. We would have liked to participate in the reflections, adds Sipi Flamand, vice-head of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan. But we think it’s a good plan. Although, with the involvement of Manawan, we would have gone a little further. “
Contacted by The duty, former mayor Alain Beaudry, for his part, thinks he has consulted the community. “Before adopting it, we offered it to the locals back home, we sent them the document for their comments. They were consulted, ”he maintains.
The indignation aroused by the death of Joyce Echaquan, under the insults and racist remarks at the Joliette hospital, triggered a reflection in the municipality. Alain Beaudry had reacted when he had declared, in the pages of To have to a year ago, that he did not want to put the issue of racism on the agenda at the Town Hall, claiming that no “major problem” had “saved him”.[tait] to the eyes “. He then rectified the situation and apologized, adding that he was shaken by the testimonies and that concrete actions had to be taken.
He said he has since read the Viens report. “We said to ourselves that there were things to improve on our end. People wondered why we hadn’t reacted to that more quickly, ”he said, while insisting that the tragedy occurred in the neighboring town, in Saint-Charles-Borromée.
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In the battery of measures contained in the plan, the community is particularly sensitive to the desire to put in place a campaign to counter racism and discrimination in housing. “In recent years, we have had a lot of problems with homeowners in Joliette,” says Sipi Flamand. He also supports the proposal to install kiosks in municipal parks to promote awareness of the community.
Joliette wants to make the population aware of Aboriginal realities, set up training courses and increase Aboriginal representation in the services offered by the City. “There is a lot of teaching to be done, admits Mayor Bellerose. Hence the importance of reconciliation and of getting organized so that there are common activities and that we get to know each other. “There are a lot of prejudices that I see since my childhood,” he adds.
The document also proposes to no longer imprison vulnerable and homeless people when they do not pay their fines related to municipal offenses. The possibility of translating some of the municipal information elements into English and Atikamekw will also be analyzed.
The director of CAAL – whose activities are based in Joliette – says she is ready to work with the new mayor. A meeting is scheduled for December. “First of all, we will have to determine what kind of relationship we want to build together. It is important to have a relationship of trust if we want to become partners, ”emphasizes Jennifer Brazeau.
The new mayor intends for his part to consult the new elected officials and ensures that he wants to involve everyone. “We want to improve the plan and work in collaboration with the various stakeholders,” he said. An approach that the community of Manawan welcomes. “We are open to meeting the new mayor,” says Sipi Flamand.
With Magdaline Boutros