First Nations representatives denounced Quebec’s inaction regarding the implementation of Indigenous rights at the 24th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), taking place this week at UN headquarters in New York.
On Monday afternoon, former Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL), Ghislain Picard, spoke at UN headquarters to denounce “Quebec’s lack of respect for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)” particularly in the caribou issue.
The former Chief of the AFNQL spoke on behalf of the Innu Nation at a side event at the 24th session of the UNPFII.
“Despite Canada’s adoption of UNDRIPDA, our communities must continually fight to assert what the declaration already clearly recognizes: our inherent right to self-determination, the protection of our territories, and the obligation to be consulted, listened to, and respected. In court, representatives of the (Quebec) government even deny the direct application of UNDRIPDA in Canadian law,” he said.
During this speech, broadcast on the UN Web TV platform, Picard also accused the Quebec government of fueling “a permanent legal confrontation” with the Innu and deplored the fact that “this systematic recourse to the courts exhausts our communities and diverts our energy, human resources, and financial resources.”