WENDAKE, QC, Feb. 26, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - "Up to the present, all the initiatives of the Quebec provincial government to re-launch the development of the North have been a repetition of a serious historical error, that is the exclusion of a large majority of First Nations that, historically, have inhabited the land they never ceded, First Nations who are the real and rightful owners of these lands. The Couillard government now has the opportunity to correct this error, the opportunity to include rather than exclude all our First Nations", says Chief Ghislain Picard.
"Why not include the governments and institutions of our First Nations from the earliest preparatory phases of an event that is of direct concern to them? Why is it that the government of Quebec decides to go without the millennial knowledge of our elders, the technical expertise of our experts by establishing a research centre to which the First Nations could make an important and positive contribution? Why are we still in that same situation in 2015? I am asking these questions to the Quebec government. I also invite all the participants, those from Quebec, and all those coming from elsewhere, to reflect on this. The exclusion of key players is never conducive to development.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all our visitors on our territories and invite them to socialize with the First Nations, Nations who are ever more welcoming, but have a right to be treated with respect", concluded Chief Picard.
About AFNQL
The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador is a political organization regrouping 43 Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador. www.apnql-afnql.com.
SOURCE Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador
Mélanie Vincent, [email protected], Cell.: 418 580-4442
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