2024-02-16 09:00:00
“It’s a historic agreement,” said the head of Pessamit, Marielle Vachon, before signing the agreement with Hydro-Québec and Quebec in the company of the CEO of the state company and Prime Minister François Legault, who are moved to the Innu community in Haute-Côte-Nord on Thursday. According to the government, this is a major step forward for relations between the two nations.
Marielle Vachon said she was proud that the Prime Minister was visiting his community. This is a first in recent years, she said.
With this agreement, the community will receive some $45 million by 2030 to create a social development fund.
The money that will be paid to Pessamit will be used in particular for the construction of housing. This community, which has a little more than 2,000 people, only has around 1,000 housing units on its territory, which is too few, according to the leader, Marielle Vachon.
Quebec also benefits from this affair. Indeed, Pessamit should put on hold the $500 million lawsuit filed once morest the government.
This signing is part of a reconciliation process, according to the government.
I hope there are agreements like that with each community and each nation, said Prime Minister François Legault. What we want is to be reconciled. And let us do projects together on a territory that we share.
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The ceremony began around 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the Pessamit community hall.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Renaud Chicoine-McKenzie
The partnership will also allow Hydro-Québec to discuss potential projects in the region to possibly increase its electricity production. Indeed, the framework agreement proposes, among other things, solutions concerning the management of the Manicouagan reservoir and commitments concerning wind power development, we can read in a press release from Quebec. In return, Hydro-Québec is also suspending the raising of the level of the Mancicouagan reservoir.
Asked regarding the projects he has in mind in the Nitassinan territory, the CEO of Hydro-Québec, Michael Sabia, specified that he intends to solicit the Innu community for new wind projects.
It is part of our action plan to increase electricity production, he underlined on the sidelines of the ceremony. The Innu will have to be consulted, quickly replied a member of the Pessamit band council, Christine Vallée.
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The Prime Minister is in the company of CAQ MPs from the region, Yves Montigny and Kateri Champagne-Jourdain, Minister of Employment and responsible for the North Shore, as well as the Minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit, Ian Lafrenière.
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Watch the report by journalist Renaud Chicoine-Mckenzie.
Photo: Screenshot
Signature-cadre
The elected officials met the head of Pessamit, Marielle Vachon, around 12:30 p.m. This closed-door meeting was therefore closed to the media.
An agreement signing ceremony began around 1:30 p.m. with the rest of the community in the community hall.
Members of the community deplore never having been consulted during the construction of hydroelectric dams on their territory, Nitassinan, which has 13 power stations and 16 dams.
A previous version of this article stated that there are 16 power plants and 13 dams. Rather, it is the opposite.
Protesters tried to prevent Legault from entering
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A roadblock had been established at the entrance to Pessamit. The demonstrators planned to block access to François Legault. A protester was screening people who might enter the community.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Paul Fontaine
François Legault was finally able to enter the community. A dam installed by members of the Innu community Thursday morning was finally dismantled around noon. Demonstrators are demanding that the band council hold a referendum on this agreement since they believe that community members have not been sufficiently consulted on this matter.
These protesters prevented non-Indigenous people from entering the community for several hours. They only let in indigenous people or even truckers delivering essential goods. They also planned to block access to the various leaders. The Pessamit police were involved in the dismantling.
The instigator of the dam, Jérôme Charles St-Onge, wanted the planned meeting between the elected officials of Pessamit and Quebec not to take place behind closed doors. We ask elected officials, leaders to hold a referendum, to open the community hall to the people.
Whether we vote yes or no, or cancel the $45 million. It doesn’t make sense, it’s a nice farce.
Members of the Pessamit band council came to meet them Thursday morning. The tension was palpable between elected officials and demonstrators.
Vice-chief Jérôme Bacon St-Onge wanted to reassure the population of Pessamit. According to him, the agreement which must be signed is not an end point to the negotiations between Quebec and Pessamit. Rather, it would open the door to future cooperation between the two parties.
Several community members expressed Wednesday that they were simply not aware of this agreement and would have preferred more transparency from the band council.
With information from Renaud Chicoine-McKenzie and Paul Fontaine
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