Achi news desk-
A year after the Quebec government set itself a deadline to conclude an agreement with three communities in the Côte-Nord and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions, the indigenous groups concerned have come out to denounce what they call an “impasse”. “
In a press release issued Monday, the leaders of the Essipit, Pekuakamiulnuatsh and Nutashkuan indigenous communities claim that the Patapan Treaty project is “jeopardized by the bad faith of the Quebec government.”
According to them, the government reneged on its commitment to reach an agreement before the deadline of March 31, 2023, imposed a new deadline and demanded new information.
A year later, the three commanders say they have not ruled out all scenarios, including legal action, which they are considering “very seriously.”
“We have been good players in listening to Quebec’s new demands. We responded with full vigor and with a genuine desire to give a chance to negotiations, but there are limits to the abuse of our good faith,” the three chiefs said in a joint letter.
“Despite the openness we have shown, the impasse remains and seriously jeopardizes the treaty project and, more broadly, the relationship between our communities and Quebec,” they added.
The Patapan Treaty, which has been under negotiation for 40 years, represents an innovative approach to relations between the governments of Quebec and Canada and indigenous populations.
It exempts the three communities from Indian law, grants them the right to self-determination and recognizes their indigenous rights, including rights to territory with agreed conditions for the exercise of these rights.
The teams and Ottawa ended their negotiations ahead of the March 2023 deadline, but those with Quebec are still ongoing.
In order to break the impasse, the three commanders say they want to meet directly with Prime Minister Francois Lego, but according to them, “the Prime Minister continues to postpone the meeting.”
“On this sad anniversary of Quebec’s broken commitment, can Quebec change its approach? Or will we have to take more drastic action to realize the ambition of our communities to build a new society based on the recognition of our rights?” said Chiefs Gilbert Dominic (Pakwakamiolnuatch), Martin Dufour (Asifit) and Real Tatout (Nutshkoan).
They say they still hope to meet with Legault this year but say they are “not very optimistic.”
— This Canadian Press report was first published in French on April 1, 2024.
