On the eve of the holding of the Great Economic Circle of Indigenous Peoples and Quebec, it seems essential to us to recall that the prospects for a sustainable economy for our nations will also have to leave room for an inevitable discussion of territorial issues. The real participation of the First Nations in the Quebec economy will have to cross this bridge.
In a few days, elected officials and representatives of First Nations and Quebec business communities and civil society will be meeting to discuss ways to accelerate the economic growth of our nations, which have remained on the fringes of development for too long. in Quebec. We would like to thank all the businesses and organizations that agreed to take part in this exercise and that show concrete commitments for the full participation of Aboriginals in the economy.
The context in which our peoples are currently evolving requires a major adjustment, in particular in order to eliminate the enormous gap that separates the living conditions of the Aboriginals from those of the population of the rest of the province. To achieve this “push” that we must collectively give, we must talk about several problems that are too often overlooked, including the housing crisis in our communities, the unemployment rate three times higher for our populations and difficult access to finance. financing for our entrepreneurs.
And since economic development is inseparable from our socio-economic future, we must talk about it!
We would like to remind you today, because we have too often experienced this type of meeting where the Government of Quebec tried to shirk and did not want to recognize this intrinsic link between our territories and the socio-economic development of our communities.
Beyond the opportunity presented by this great economic meeting, it is essential for us to reiterate our determination to ensure respect for our rights, our ancestral territories and our self-government. The fundamental principles that must guide relations between our governments and that of Quebec are clear:
1. The right to prior, free and informed consent in decision-making by non-indigenous governments for any project having an impact on our territories and resources;
2. The right to co-management, from government to government, through common management practices that respect the territory, including decision-making;
3. The respect by non-Indigenous governments for the sacred links that exist for our nations between the occupation of the territory, the development of the territory, the use of our resources and the conservation of our ways of life, our languages and our cultures ;
4. The right to economic advantages, in particular the sharing of natural resources and the collection of royalties for the past, present and future exploitation of our territories and our resources.
The Great Economic Circle of Indigenous Peoples and Quebec event will thus be a great opportunity for the Legault government to stand out from its predecessors by showing political bravery in addressing issues that concern our ancestral territories and our resources. If Quebec enjoys an economic status that may be the envy of other governments, it is a lot because of the exploitation of resources in our territories. Isn’t it high time that First Nations enjoyed the same opportunities?