Algonquins of Barriere Lake
Rapid Lake Indian Reserve, Quebec J0W 2C0
Tel: (819)824-1734
Action Alert Action Alert Action Alert Action Alert
To all supporters:
The Algonquins of Barriere Lake are requesting urgent and immediate
support from you!
On February 12, 1993 the Government of Quebec unilaterally
suspended budgets, and has threatened to unilaterally terminate,
its participation in the Trilateral Agreement, signed on August 22,
1991, between the Governments of Canada, Quebec and the Algonquins
of Barriere Lake. This flies in the face of the Report of the
Mediator, Judge Rejean Paul of the Quebec Superior Court, who said
the Trilateral Agreement is a "treaty" or "solemn agreement" which
cannot be unilaterally terminated.
The Agreement has as its objective to develop an integrated
resource management plan for forests and wildlife over 10,000 sq.
km. of our traditional territory, and is based on the principles of
conservation, sustainable development, and the protection of the
livelihood and way of life of our people. This Agreement also
provides for an interim protection regime which consists of 1)
identification of sensitive zones (ie. critical wildlife habitat /
Algonquin harvesting areas), and 2) the development of measures to
harmonize forestry activities with the traditional activities of
the Algonquins.
Since the signing there have been ongoing differences in the
application of the Agreement between ourselves, and the governments
of Quebec and Canada principally because the Quebec Ministry of
Forests refused to give force to the Trilateral Agreement. These
differences led to the appointment of Quebec Superior Court Judge,
Rejean Paul as Mediator to the dispute in August 1992. Judge Paul
issued his report on September 12, 1993. The mediator's report
clearly found the governments of Quebec and Canada in breach of the
Trilateral Agreement.
On December 17, 1993, Mr. Sirros met with Chief Matchewan to give
him Quebec's official response to the Mediator's report. he said,
Quebec accepted "most" of the report. However, Mr. Sirros assured
the Chief that Quebec intended to enforce the Agreement. On this
basis we agreed to try and work out the technical details on the
sensitive zones and the measures to harmonise, as well as, the
overall integrated resource management plan.
Following the meeting of December 12, 1992, our technicians started
working immediately to identify sensitive zones and measures to
harmonise for several forestry operation scheduled for February 1,
1993, including a clear cut logging operation by Produit Forestiere
Gatineau at the Lake Kondiaronk site located within La Veredyre
Park. Despite the time constraints and many effort by the Ministry
of Forests to frustrate the process (such as not providing cutting
plans until January 11, 1993, and not making appropriate budgets
available in a timely fashion), a technical report was ready for
January 28, 1993, which proposed a number of sensitive zones and
measures to harmonize.
One of the measures included 60 metre buffer zones around water
bodies. Unfortunately despite our best efforts to compromise,
negotiations with Quebec on the implementation of sensitive zones
and measure to harmonize did not reach a settlement.
This is due to intransigence on the part of the Quebec Ministry of
Forests.
Consequently, on February 3, 1993, the Algonquins intervened to
stop clear cutting in a 60 m. buffer zone around a lake at the
Kondiaronk site, until a meeting could be held with Quebec. In
response, Mr. Sirros wrote in a letter to Chief Matchewan on the
same day that stated:
"I ask you to instruct the members of your community in order
that forestry operators can recommence their activities and
that these may take place without problems in the respect of
the law and regulations enforced."
"In the contrary event, I will have to recommend to the
government to put an end to the agreement and to take the
necessary measures."
Our community did not stop forestry operations we only acted to
protect buffer zones from the clear-cut that is taking place at the
Lake Kondiaronk cutting site, so there would be still something to
negotiate. If they did not the zones would have been cut before
negotiations could take place.
Following this incident Quebec requested that we revisit our
recommendations and provide a new map showing the sensitive zones
and measures to harmonize for the Lake Kondiaronk cutting site.
Our technicians went to work immediately to develop a compromise
plan which reduced some of the buffers to 20 m. and others to 40
m., leaving only about a third of the buffers at 60 m.. This
compromise plan was presented to the Quebec Special Representative,
Dr. Lafond, with explanations on February 10. This was to be
tabled in Montreal, the following day, with the Quebec Ministers
(Native Affairs, Forests, and Leisure Fish and Game) by Dr. Andre
Lafond, for further discussion.
Quebec did not respond to our compromise plan. On February 12,
1993, the Chief was simply summoned by Quebec Native Affairs
Minister, Christos Sirros, to a meeting in Hull, Quebec, and given
the ultimatum: "accept Quebec's proposal or the Trilateral
Agreement is suspended." The Chief was not given details about
what was specifically not acceptable to Quebec. Instead, Mr.
Sirros held a press conference immediately after meeting with the
Chief, and informed the media that "the parties have not been able
to agree on the size of the buffer zones on water bodies and on
hunting issues".
The concerns that our community has are the following:
* The Quebec Government arbitrarily refuses to modify its
clear-cut logging practises to protect buffer zones around
waters.
* Important riparian habitat for moose and aquatic wildlife
is being needlessly destroyed.
* The Quebec Government is trying to use budgets to blackmail
our community into reckless logging practises.
* The Quebec Government has threatened to act illegally in
unilaterally terminating the Trilateral Agreement.
! ! ! HOW YOU CAN HELP ! ! !
Send letters to the Premier of Quebec, Robert Bourassa, urging them
to respect the spirit and the terms of the Agreement and continue
negotiating with the Algonquins of Barriere Lake. We ask that you
do this on an urgent basis. Please copy these letters to the
federal Minister of State for Indian Affairs, Pierre Vincent, as
well as Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan, their addresses are:
Premier Robert Bourassa
Quebec National Assembly
Quebec, (Quebec)
Telephone: 514-747-2723
Fax: 418-643-3924
Mr. Pierre Vincent
Minister of State for Indian Affairs
House of Commons
Telephone: 819-997-0002
Fax: 819-953-4941
Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan
Algonquins of Barriere Lake
408 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Telephone: 613-233-8686
Fax: 613-233-3116