Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That is exactly what I am advocating. I feel that having a clearer process and a relationship with Indigenous people in which they fully participate will avoid a number of problems, such as with courts, with blockades or with RCMP actions. I don't know whether you saw the foreig

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  To my knowledge, no country has passed an implementation act. However, some countries recognize the declaration in their constitutional legislation. Columbia, for example, has chosen to implement it procedurally. That means it's simply a process. Once the process has been followe

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  This is a question worth asking. In my opinion, when we talk about a veto, it is because we want to defuse this issue politically. I don't think aboriginal people are looking to veto. What they're looking for is a relationship. Obviously, the right to say no is part of the relat

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  On the issue of free, prior and informed consent, there is a tension between two ideas. First, there is a procedural version according to which the idea is not to obtain consent, but only to take steps that could lead to consent. It would be enough to do that. That's basically wh

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Ms. Gill. I can certainly do that. We published a special issue of the journal Recherches amérindiennes au Québec on the subject. There is little literature in French on this issue; there is a little more in English, but not much. The idea was really to look at how i

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Good morning to all. Thank you very much for inviting me to appear before the Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Northern Affairs. I am a professor of political science at Laval University, but I work more specifically on aboriginal issues, particularly on aboriginal politics

Fisheries committee  You are putting a lot on my shoulders. One of the only political scientists to have gone into politics has not always been successful. Without putting me in the shoes of a minister, action is clearly needed, as I said. In fact, Fisheries and Oceans Canada's inaction has been a

Fisheries committee  Yes, they can certainly start the process. Some examples of co-management associations have come out of major conflicts. The users made that decision. That said, since the government is responsible for regulation, it must clearly be at the table at some point. Community leaders

Fisheries committee  Yes, this should be its role, a role that it has actually played on several occasions. I am a little astonished by its inaction in this conflict. I'm not the only one, in fact, because several people have mentioned that, following the Marshall decision and because of well-establ

Fisheries committee  Thank you for the question. I will try to answer by first giving you a little context. I have had some contact with Innu fishers on the North Shore, who experienced tension but not to the extent of the tension we experienced with the Mi'kmaq. However, in the case of the Innu, at

Fisheries committee  That's a highly legal issue and I wouldn't want to venture too strong a position on it. It's a question that many lawyers are asking themselves right now on the basis of indigenous rights. Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982 clearly recognizes the collective rights of i

Fisheries committee  Co-management only works if all parties are at the table. If some parties are excluded, there definitely can be no progress. Even if they are there on behalf of Canada, commercial fishers must be there nonetheless. There will be no solution without them. Obviously, the Mi'Kmaq wi

Fisheries committee  Co-management has existed in Canada since 1978. Parks Canada first used the term for the management of national parks on land claimed by indigenous peoples. This was then included in all land claims agreements that were signed in the north. In fact, this began with the James Bay

Fisheries committee  Co-management brings together all stakeholders and can certainly prevent this type of conflict. A sort of nation-to-nation relationship is forged, which has great symbolic significance. In this case, the federal government and the Mi'Kmaq nation must engage in negotiations. That

Fisheries committee  Thank you for the invitation. I will be speaking in French and I will try not to speak too quickly. I am a professor of political science. Therefore, I might have a slightly different view of the crisis. I have been working with indigenous communities for a very long time, in