A Constant Dilemma for First Nations

Take Political Action, Negotiate or Go to Court 

The same political effervescence as in other well-established organizations can also be seen in tribal councils, such as the Council of the Atikamekw Nation, the Mamuitun Tribal Council, the Grand Council of the Waban-Aki Nation, the Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat and the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council. The burden of negotiating land, resource and self-government issues is at the core of these bodies’ mandates. Sometimes, when negotiations go on forever and the outcome is long in coming, the negotiators and communities involved begin to doubt the process. At a 2014 workshop in Montréal organized by the Centre Justice et Foi, Gilbert Dominique, former chief of the Mashteuiatsh Innu First Nation, reiterated that while he still believed in negotiation process, he also believed that “time is our worst enemy.” He feared that people would lose confidence, which he said damages the credibility of the process. (Centre Justice et Foi 2014) 

Constant Awashish is part of the new generation of Indigenous leaders. He holds a law degree and was elected Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation in 2014 and then re-elected in 2018. Days after his election as Grand Chief in 2014, Atikamekw leaders adopted a unilateral declaration of sovereignty over their ancestral territory of Nitaskinan. Lengthy and stalled negotiations with the governments of Québec and Canada to conclude an agreement or treaty with the Atikamekw Nation were a major factor in the affirmation of sovereignty. Any future development, use or exploitation of resources found on their ancestral lands will require the Atikamekw Nation’s consent.

Photo credit:  Jean-Louis Régis

Former chief of Mashteuiatsh Gilbert Dominique in Uashat (Sept-Îles) in 2008.

Photo credit:  Pierre Lepage

The Innu and Atikamekw First Nations have been negotiating with the governments of Canada and Québec for nearly 40 years in the hope of signing a treaty. At the same 2014 workshop, Eva Ottawa, former Grand Chief of the Council of the Atikamekw Nation, echoed Dominique’s sentiments, saying that she believed in the negotiations with the governments. She repeatedly said that the goal was to establish a framework for harmonious coexistence. But it is by no means an easy process, and Ottawa told the audience that the best way to achieve their goal was to go on the offensive, be proactive. [TRANSLATION] “So that’s what we did. We took action.” She gave the example of the Atikamekw Authority Intervention System, a good example of First Nations governance and autonomy in the area of youth protection and services adapted to Atikamekw culture and rea­lities. (Idem.) In January 2018, the work accomplished by the Atikamekw Nation was reco­gnized through the signing of a youth protection agreement between the Council of the Atikamekw Nation and the Government of Québec. (Québec, Santé et Services sociaux 2018)