Passage of Bill 16 - The Québec government gives effect to its commitments towards the Cree nation and the community of Oujé-Bougoumou

QUÉBEC CITY, Feb. 10, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Bill 16, An Act to amend various legislative provisions to implement Complementary Agreements No. 22 and No. 27 to the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement, was assented to today. The legislative amendments introduced by the Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs, Ian Lafrenière, will enable action to be taken on various issues identified by the Cree Nation and will formalize agreements signed with it in the past.

Overall, eight laws are amended, in particular to ensure official recognition for the community of Oujé-Bougoumou in the legislative corpus, giving it the same status and rights as the eight other Cree communities. Other amendments are made to the Act respecting the Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Board to reflect the changes made by the Complementary Agreement No. 27 to the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement to the Income Security Program for Cree Hunters and Trappers, now the Economic Security Program for Cree Hunters. Together, these measures give effect to commitments previously made by the government and define its obligations. The Cree communities are now on an equal footing under Québec law and can continue their traditional activities with support from measures under the program.

Quote:
"I am very happy today to see that the Cree community of Oujé-Bougoumou has been given its rightful place in Québec's legislation. The finalization of the process will allow the community to exercise all its powers over local administration and launch new development projects for the benefit of its members. In addition, the Québec government is now in a position to honour its commitments under the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement, which is a necessary step if it is to preserve the close relationship of trust and the spirit of cooperation which serve the interests of both the Cree nation and the Québec government. I would also like to emphasize the work of my Opposition colleagues who helped ensure the progress of the Bill. I hope that our efforts will contribute to the prosperity of the Crees of Oujé-Bougoumou, and of the Cree nation as a whole, over the short, medium and long terms."

Ian Lafrenière, Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs

SOURCE Cabinet du ministre responsable des Affaires autochtones

Source: Mathieu Durocher, Press officer, Office of the Minister Repsonsible for Indigneous Affairs, Phone: [phone]; Information: Antoine Tousignant, Public affairs team leader, Ministère du Conseil exécutif and Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor, Phone: [phone], [email protected]