The investigation also establishes responsibility to a lesser extent and indirectly
of the Territorial Resource Center of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan. Aboriginal Spaces was able to obtain the report of the investigation which also includes recommendations.
Disappointment among the Atikamekw
Despite consultations and five harmonization meetings since 2016 to establish cutting sectors on the territory of the Dubé family, a road 500 meters long and with an average width of just over 20 meters was terminated. 2021. It is therefore approximately 6% of the surface of the maple grove that was cut despite the fact that the family opposed it.
This event is the unintended result of successive failures on the part of the parties involved: the MFFPthe Scierie St-Michel and the CRT
is it written in the document.
Henri Dubé’s family is very disapointed
survey results, as did the Conseil des Atikamekw de Manawan (CDAM).
Annette Dubé-Vollant is very disappointed and says she has “trouble digesting” the conclusions of the investigation.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Marie-Laure Josselin
I’m disgusted. I don’t understand how we got here
said Annette Dubé, speaking for her family.
The only positive point is that they recognize that they made a mistake, but after? They wash their hands of it. We find it absurd that they let this pass
she continued.
” It seems that the ministry and the industrialist do not speak to each other and that they protect each other. They’re doing quite well! »
The Dubé family sent a letter to the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Pierre Dufour, in which they said they refused the conclusions of the investigation and were indignant that, even within the framework of an official agreement, the non-respect of one’s rights does not engage any accountability
.
No penalty
In February, Henri Dubé’s family accused Scierie St-Michel of having cut and made a path in their sugar bush without authorization, which the company denied. The Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks then launched an investigation.
The investigation report therefore concludes that the Scierie St-Michel, in particular, was responsible for cutting, even though neither the family nor the Territorial Resource Center of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan (CRT) had responded to a version modified from the cutting map with the planned paths on it, sent by the forester.
” By modifying the location of the roads while knowing the sensitivity and importance of protecting the maple grove for the family, the Scierie St-Michel inc. compromised the protection objective desired by the family. »
According to the document, the company should have restarted the CRT and ensured that everything was granted. The absence of return should not have been interpreted as an acceptance as to the construction of the path.
The president and director of the Scierie St-Michel, Jean-François Champoux, said to himself happy with the report
.
At each stage, I did my job. I have no fine, because I respected my agreements
he specified.
Jean-François Champoux wants the government to assume its responsibilities and discuss with the Atikamekw
Photo: Radio-Canada / Marie-Laure Josselin
But he still ticks on the mention of shared responsibility.
” I cannot be responsible for the work of the ministry. If it was not compliant, it should not be authorized. »
Then he defended himself: we warned everyone twice, we should have warned again? At some point, everyone has their job to do.
The report mentions that the sawmill submitted a modified version of the road network and that this was authorized by the MFFP without detailed validation since it was inside the construction site
.
According to the report, the MFFP should have ensured that this modified network did not conflict with the harmonization measures agreed for the site, but he failed to do so
.
Result : no penalty or offense can be issued by the MFFP in this case
.
The document therefore falls under a responsibility shared mainly by the MFFP and the Scierie, but does not go any further. He also mentions that the CRT should have, for its part, be vigilant when he noticed that the planning of the roads on the map transmitted by the sawmill provided for the construction of the road which crossed the maple grove
.
This action would have made it possible to alert the family, to return to the sawmill and to warn the ministry before the damage was done, advances the report.
Glenn Dubé, elected councilor of Manawan, listens to a Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief come to express his solidarity with the Atikamekw.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Marie-Laure Josselin
This argument does not pass with the elected councilor of Manawan and responsible for the file, Glenn Dubé.
Year after year, the companies and the ministry come back to the
he launched, referring to the pressure put on the heads of territory who refuse cutting sectors, but who find themselves with the same requests in the following years.
Governments have an obligation to consult with Indigenous communities and, where appropriate, accommodate their needs. Four meetings per year are generally planned to finalize a logging project with a territory manager who has the rights to a specific sector.
Normally, the band councils – through their territorial management office – must manage the requests for harmonization, that is to say the places where it is possible to cut and the compensation provided. The companies are not supposed to contact the families directly, but the heads of the territory testify to another reality.
In the case of the sugar bush, the sawmill copied the CRT to an email and considered that the family had been consulted. The CRT is only the intermediary
he continued. He cannot be held responsible for a badly taken government decision.
Glenn Dubé then recalled that the Atikamekw denounce sloppy consultations
for a long time and, according to him, the orientation of this report proves that their rights are effectively treated as second line
.
” It looks like our rights are optional for them. They can be flouted, there are no consequences. Never consequences for their actions. It happens too often. »
Recommendations
Discussions should take place to assess options for mitigating the impacts of road construction. Annette Dubé-Vollant like Glenn Dubé hope that the file is not closed for the ministry and are awaiting a meeting with Minister Dufour.
As for the MFFP, it intends, as soon as possible, take steps to prevent such a situation from happening again
. Areas for improvement and recommendations were included in the analysis report.
The MFFP wishes to improve the processes and instructions leading to the issuance of authorisations. The objective is that no harvesting activity be authorized without having consulted the CRT and the family concerned when a modification requested by a forestry company affects a harmonization measure already agreed upon. The company will also have to ensure that the modification does not go against what has already been agreed with the family.
The harmonization forms will have to be clearer and the measures clearly worded. It will also be necessary to ensure a common understanding of all parties.
For its part, the report recommends to the CRT to better identify the actors concerned, that is to say the heads of territory and the families, and to quickly validate the information received from a forester, informing the family and the ministry if necessary.
Finally, the MFFP proposes to review the current process of collaboration with Manawan to see if it still responds to the parties and to modify it if necessary.
Moratorium still in progress
In addition, last Friday, the Atikamekw Council of Manawan recalled that no forestry equipment or harvester has access to the cross road which starts at kilometer 60 and which enters the Nitaskinan in the direction of La Tuque, a road regularly taken . No exceptions will be made until further notice.
For three months, the Atikamekw of Manawan have held this dam in a sector of their territory to prevent forestry operations.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Marie-Laure Josselin
A few months ago, a moratorium was imposed on logging on the ancestral territory of Manawan. In addition, a roadblock has been held day and night at km 60 for three months. It was set up following the cuts in the sugar bush of the Dubé family.
The chiefs of the territory of Manawan, from the perspective of respect for their rights and more responsible management of the forests, demand more balanced relations with the forest industry and a real and concrete application of the obligations and implications relating to the First Nations. contained in the Sustainable Forest Development Act. Pending satisfactory progress in discussions with the Government of Quebec, mobilization continues
says the press release from the council.
This reminder comes as the cutting season is about to resume and Quebec is discussing with Manawan and the Atikamekw Nation Council as part of a working committee. The latter aims to find common ground aimed at respecting the Atikamekw way of life, known as nehirowisiw, in land use planning and management. It was set up in February and will soon be finishing its work.
Jean-François Champoux indicated that his forestry operations would begin on June 6, but that he would do everything not to put pressure on kilometer 60, where the dam is located, and to ensure that discussions continue between the ministry, the CDAM and the DACs.
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca