Solidarity and Shared Social Values

Between 1991 and 1993, a focus group composed of representatives of unions, religious movements, cooperatives, social movements and Aboriginal peoples tasked itself with bringing together Quebecers and Aboriginal peoples. The goal of the 20 or so participants in this forum was to determine and highlight the points on which the two groups agreed, and to identify and seek solutions to the points on which they disagreed. Around 15 formal meetings were held.

The Forum Paritaire Québécois–Autochtone

Living Together in Mutual Respect

In fall 1993, the focus group adopted and published a manifesto entitled Manifeste concernant l’avenir des relations entre les Autochtones et les Québécois, which set out areas of disagreement, but also highlighted several areas of rapprochement. In an article published in Revue Notre-Dame, René Boudreault, co-moderator of the forum, underscored several points, including the following:

Québec and the Aboriginal nations are seeking recognition of collective and even national rights. They are seeking greater self-governance. Recognition as peoples and of the right to self-determination dominate the political landscape.
The settlement of Aboriginal land claims is conducive to social peace and economic development. Having neighbours who are developing their economies is certainly preferable to having neighbours who are living in poverty.
The movement to decentralize decision-making power, which is largely sought by Québec’s regions, is also of interest to Aboriginal peoples.
The sacred notion of indivisibility of the territory of Québec is not necessarily incompatible with Aboriginal rights. Accommodation is possible to the extent that the exercise of Aboriginal sovereignty does not necessarily run counter to the sovereignty of the National Assembly or the Canadian legal system.
Aboriginal economic development and the improvement of Aboriginal peoples’ standard of living are powerful assets for regional economic growth. The development of recreational tourism by Aboriginal people is a perfect example.
The fundamental values promoted by the environmental movement are consistent with traditional Aboriginal philosophy.
Aboriginal people need Quebecers’ expertise to spur their development and train their own workforce. This leads to exchanges and reciprocity that can be creative and build a positive new relationship (Boudreault 1995, 10–13).

Gérald Larose, then President of the Confederation of National Trade Unions, and Roméo Saganash, then Deputy Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees (of Québec), attending a press conference in fall 1993 at the Forum paritaire québécois-autochtone, a focus group whose mission is to bring together Quebecers and Aboriginal peoples.

The signatories ended the manifesto by emphasizing that history and geography compel us to meet the challenge of living together and quickly define the foundations of relations between Quebecers and Aboriginal peoples.

The manifesto was signed by:

Gérard Drainville, Assemblée des Évêques du Québec; Jackie Kistabish, Quebec Native Women; Lorraine Pagé, Daniel Lachance and Henri Laberge, Centrale de l’enseignement du Québec; Julien Harvey, Centre Justice et Foi; Michel Doray and Claude Têtu, Confédération des caisses Desjardins; Gérald Larose, Confederation of National Trade Unions; René Simon and Arthur Robertson, Conseil des Atikamekw et des Montagnais; Denis Landry, Grand Council of the Waban-Aki Nation; Diom Roméo Saganash, Grand Council of the Crees (of Québec); Gérald Mckenzie and Sylvie Paquerot, Civil Liberties Union; Édith Cloutier, Quebec Native Friendship Centre Movement; Bernard Cleary, resource person; Pierre Bonnet and René Boudreault, moderators and coordinators of the forum. (Forum paritaire 1993)

Solstice Des Nations: A Bridge Between National Aboriginal Day And The National Holiday Of Québec

What a brilliant idea! In 2005, LAND InSIGHTS (Société pour la diffusion des cultures autochtones), the Comité de la Fête nationale du Québec à Montréal and the Mouvement national des Québécoises et Québécois joined forces to build a bridge between National Aboriginal Day, celebrated on June 21, and the National Holiday of Québec, on June 24.

In 2005, the Abenaki and Mohawk First Nations were represented at the solstice des nations. The photo shows Éric Cardinal, one of the main organizers of the event, with Nicole O’Bomsawin and Annette Nolet of Odanak.

It was a simple but highly symbolic ceremony. On June 21, the summer solstice, members of several First Nations held a traditional fire ceremony in Montréal. Afterwards, the embers were carried to the Plains of Abraham in Québec City and used to light the friendship fire on June 23 for the yearly concert held on the eve of the National Holiday of Québec.

Public figures were invited to take part in the June 21 festivities, where official speeches were delivered against the backdrop of traditional singing and drumming. In 2005, special guests included Québec singer-songwriter Claude Gauthier, Mohawks from Kahnawake and Kanesatake and Abenaki singers from Odanak. In 2009, Québec storyteller Michel Faubert and Inuit singer Elisapie Isaac took part. Sadly, this annual event aimed at strengthening the bonds of friendship between the peoples who share the territory of Québec was held for the last time in 2011. With the current desire for reconciliation, would it not be a good idea to revive an event that is such a symbol of hope?

In 2005, the Abenaki and Mohawk First Nations were represented at the Solstice des Nations. In the photo is Mohawk singer Sedalia Fazio.

In 2005, the Abenaki and Mohawk First Nations were represented at the Solstice des Nations. In the photo is well-known and highly respected figure from Kahnawake, Billy Two Rivers.

Indigenous And Québec Women Fight The Same Battle

Solidarity at the World March of Women Against Poverty and Violence

It was essentially in the mid-1970s that a sense of solidarity developed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women in Québec. Thérèse Casgrain had become a staunch ally of Mary Two-Axe Earley, a Mohawk from Kahnawake who was involved with the advocacy group Indian Rights for Indian Women. Ghislaine Patry-Buisson, a former president of the Fédération des femmes du Québec, remembers the beginnings of this solidarity, particularly 1975 in Mexico City, at the first United Nations World Conference on Women. Mary Two-Axe Earley was a member of the delegation of Canadian women to the Women’s Forum, a parallel forum attended by women from non-governmental organizations. Her intervention in Mexico City, backed by the women of Canada, was particularly powerful.

Michèle Audette, then President of Quebec Native Women, and Madeleine Parent, activist and “great friend of Indigenous women,” photographed at the March of Women Against Poverty and Violence.

This was the context in which Quebec Native Women Inc. (QNW) was founded in 1974. The QNW forged strong ties with the Fédération des femmes du Québec and developed a solidarity that has never waned. When QNW dared to break the code of silence and denounce the violence and abuse occurring in many Aboriginal communities, they again had the support of the women’s movement. At the 2000 March of Women Against Poverty and Violence, Indigenous and Québec women marched side by side in solidarity, proud of the progress made.

The bonds of solidarity between Indigenous women and Québec women still exist. In 2016, Quebec Native Women and the Conseil du statut de la femme jointly published a brochure to raise awareness about various aspects of the lives of Aboriginal women. Entitled Let’s Meet Québec’s Aboriginal Women, the brochure sheds light on the harsh reality that “the living conditions of Aboriginal women are inferior to those of the rest of the population …,” a reality that needs to be known and rectified. At the beginning of the brochure, Julie Miville-Dechêne, President of the Conseil du statut de la femme from 2011 to 2016, states: “We scarcely know each other. Bridging the gap between Aboriginal women and non-Aboriginal women, and even the entire population, requires knowledge and understanding.” Viviane Michel, President of Quebec Native Women, stresses the following: “For us to work together, there is first of all a history and a reality that must be known. Let’s get to know each other and break the myth. That’s how the road to reconciliation can begin.” (Conseil du statut de la femme 2016, 6)

Viviane Michel, President of Quebec Native Women, a committed activist who believes in solidarity in action.

Dialogue – Quebecers, First Nations and the Inuit

Every summer, the Institut du Nouveau Monde brings together young people from all regions of Québec to discuss democracy, citizen engagement and the issues facing today’s Québec. In 2008, a new event called Dialogue – Quebecers, First Nations and The Inuit was attended by some 50 young Indigenous people. The objective of the event was to identify shared interests, propose actions and strengthen ties.

Steve Papatie (left), from the community of Kitcisakik, and Alexis Wawanoloath, then MNA for Abitibi-Est, have played an active role in strengthening ties between Quebecers and Indigenous peoples. To mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City, the Institut du Nouveau Monde held its 2008 session at Université Laval.

Gender equality is another common focal point worth mentioning. In the mid-1970s, the loss of Indian status by First Nations women who married non-Indian men was a prominent issue in Canada. Gender discrimination continued under the Indian Act despite passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights by the federal government in 1960. Status Indian women who married non-Indians were banished from their communities.

First Nations women banded together and challenged the Indian Act in court on the grounds that section 12(1)(b) was sexually discriminatory. At the time, First Nations women were unlikely to get support from band councils or Aboriginal political organizations. Instead, they got the vital support they needed primarily from feminist movements in Québec and elsewhere in Canada.