The Minister responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit, Ian Lafrenière, learned Tuesday morning that Indigenous communities were not paying their electricity bills. He assures that the situation is not tolerable and that he wants to resolve the problem with Hydro-Québec.
“We have communities that have experienced things with Hydro-Québec in the past, who have decided to use non-payment as a means of negotiation to get a message across. This is not the right solution. I am offering Hydro-Québec to work with them, so that we can negotiate and find solutions. We cannot take justice into our own hands,” the minister said Tuesday in the National Assembly.
Radio-Canada reported Tuesday that members of some indigenous communities have not paid their electricity bills for years. Hydro-Québec is thus left with a shortfall of $250 million, but does not dare claim what is owed to it.
Ian Lafrenière, however, called for caution, recalling that the “majority of First Nations and Inuit members pay their electricity bills” and that “generalities” should be avoided.
“As if indigenous peoples did not exist”
The same story from the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) and the Parti Québécois (PQ): the situation cannot continue.
“There is obviously a whole history with certain indigenous communities. I think that there must be leadership from the indigenous community with Hydro-Québec to ensure that the situation does not continue,” said interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay.
“We have to put ourselves in the shoes of all Hydro-Québec customers. What we are saying is that there are people who pay their bill and if they don’t, there are consequences. And there are other people who don’t need to pay their bill. […] “I don’t see how that will work in terms of fairness,” illustrated the PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
Québec solidaire (QS) instead advocates dialogue. “We must recognize that Hydro-Québec was created as if indigenous peoples did not exist. […] The path of dialogue and negotiation is to be favored so that we recognize the rights of all First Nations and pave the way for better relations in the future,” explained the parliamentary solidarity leader, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.