“Anishnabeg Communities Take Their Fight Against Quebec’s “Authoritarian Drift” to Federal Level”

After considering that the Quebec Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, was slipping into a form of authoritarian driftthe Anishnabeg of Pikogan (Abitibiwinni), Kitigan Zibi and Lac-Simon are determined to make their voices heard and have therefore decided to take the matter to the federal level.

These three communities, located in Abitibi and Outaouais, believe that Quebec deliberately interferes with their constitutional rights guaranteed by section 35 of the Canadian Constitution.

This is why they are asking the Canada Energy Regulator and the Government of Canada to intervene with the Government of Quebec, which is working to supply New York City with electricity.

This project would see the construction of a line in Montérégie. If this is not on Anishnabeg territory, it is different for the power plants that could supply this line.

However, the Anishnabeg claim that they were not consulted regarding the increase in the flow of the turbines.

On January 20, the grouping of these three communities sent a letter to Mr. Charette. The latter had announced his intention to make contact with the Anishnabeg.

Today, it is clear that the dialogue does not seem to have resumed.

In a press release, the Anishnabeg say New York","text":"confrontés à une double impasse : d'une part on refuse de les consulter quant à l'impact des augmentations de puissance des centrales sur leurs territoires traditionnels et, d'autre part, on refuse de les entendre sur la question de la destination et de l'utilisation d'électricité produite et transportée sur leurs territoires ancestraux vers l'État de New York"">confronted with a double impasse: on the one hand, we refuse to consult them on the impact of the power increases of the power stations on their traditional territories and, on the other hand, we refuse to hear them on the question of the destination and of the use of electricity produced and transmitted on their ancestral territories to the State of New York.

They evoke scandal and criticize the casually of Quebec. They talk about red herrings and of petty legislative maneuvers.

Is this the path to reconciliation? Is this how the Legault government intends to proceed in the future in the management of energy issues?can we still read in their press release.

Contacted by Indigenous Spaces, the Quebec Ministry of the Environment had not yet responded at the time of publishing these lines.