A friend up in Canada sent me an interesting article. It seems that
Ann Stewart, the primary motivator of the Save James Bay goups (and a
registered lobbyist for the Cree in Quebec) put out her own paper about
the "environmental and social impacts of hydro development in northern
Quebec." What makes it interesting is that the Cree have publicly
disavowed Stewart in the Canadian press, and said that it was not a
Cree publication and that she was acting on her own.
What gives? Is Stewart still registered as a lobbyist for the Cree or not? If
she works for them, why are they distancing themselves from her?
Andrew Bennett
abennett@mit.edu
(an Oneida, if anyone cares)
Here's the article (from the Le Devoir, Sept 28, 1993):
----- Begin Article -----
The Crees Distance Themselves from an anti-Great Whale Pamphlet Published
in the US
Marie Tison
Canadian Press
Washington - Concerned about restoring their image with Quebecers, the Crees
have dissociated themselves somewhat from the tabloid published by Americans
on the Great Whale project.
"It's not a Cree publication," Executive Director of the Grand Council of the
Crees, Bill Namagoose, hastened to point out.
The 24-page tabloid, entitled "Northern Rights - Southern Light: Connections
to James Bay" attacks not only the James Bay hydroelectric development but
also Quebec society in general.
Namagoose contacted Canadian Press yesterday to point out the fact that while
the paper came from the Crees' lobbyist in Massachusetts, Anne Stewart, she was
acting on her own in this undertaking. He added that other companies had
provided
logistic and financial aid.
Namagoose explained that the Crees did not appreciate the fact that some Quebec
media had described the newspaper as a list of "new lies about the Great Whale
Project".
"The Crees have spend millions of dollars and three or four years of their time
providing information to Quebecers, to enable them to understand our point of
view,"
he explained. "That kind of language doesn't help us." He noted that it was
probably Quebecers who will have the power to end the Great Whale project, and
not
"a few thousand Crees".
Namagoose asserted that many of the statements in the tabloid reported by the
Quebec
media were correct and that the Crees could prove it.
However, he refused to accept some of the other statements, such as the one
claiming
that Robert Bourassa was like a dictator, ruling with an iron hand.
"I can't prove that," he said, before breaking out in a laugh.
He added that he couldn't take a stand on the statement that North Shore
employers
discriminate against the Montaganis, since he doesn't live in that region.
Namagoose said he was squarely against the statement that Quebec was counting on
hydroelectric projects to finance its independence.
"We have said exactly the opposite," he declared. "Hydro-Quebec's projects will
be obstacles to independence, because of the enormous debts they will create."
The Executive Director of the Grand Council of the Crees was actually quite
philosophical about the subject of Quebec's sovereignty.
"It is a matter for Quebecers, and we respect their rights to decide what they
want." he said. "It makes no difference to the Crees; whatever happens, we have
to find a way to coexist."
On the other hand, Namagoose said he was more in agreement with the statement
that Canada is sacrificing its environmental obligations to keep Quebec within
the Canadian federation.
He mentioned that the Crees had to drag the Canadian government into court to
force it to participate in the assessment of the environmental impacts of the
Great Whale project.
He also noted that the American tabloid was close to the truth when it attacked
Quebec's forest management practices, the environmental requirement imposed on
the aluminum smelters and the disapperance of Cree culture.
"No one denies that Cree culture has been affected," he said.
He also said that Qubec's forest management practices on Cree lands were clearly
inadequate.
Finally, he insisted that it was true to claim that the Crees has signed the
James
Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement under duress.
"We had no choice," he said.
Yesterday, Hydro-Quebec again deplored the content of the American tabloid. A
spokesperson, Guy Versailles, stated yesterday that the crown corporation was
now being attacked on other fronts: a letter-writing campaign had begun in
Winnipeg
to urge Hydro-Quebec to put its project on the back burner and the prestigious
National Geographic Society Magazine was about to publish an article on James
Bay
that gives a lot of space to the Crees but not to Hydro-Quebec's arguments.
"It's not exactly the same but pretty much all of these charges amount to the
same
thing," he said. "A systematic campaign is being waged at several levels to
discredit
not just our projects, but Hydro-Quebec as an institution."
"This is bound to leave its mark," he said regretfully.
----- End Article -----