BEC: How do you think that your successful
experiences in northern Quebec can be repli-
cated throughout the country?
GC: Every region of the country, of course,
has its own set of particular circumstances,
and the ways in which the recognition of Indig-
enous rights will be translated into concrete
benefits for Indigenous communities will per-
haps look a bit different from location to lo-
cation. But the essence of our experiences in
northern Quebec can be replicated elsewhere.
Indigenous rights are real and they can be ex-
pressed in tangible ways that will improve the
lives of our people in their communities, while
at the same time, creating a spirit and an at-
mosphere of harmony, all of which far out-
weighs the costs of doing nothing.
What we have done in northern Quebec is to
find that right mix of Indigenous rights, gov-
ernance and development which has proven
to lead to a significant lessening of adversarial
confrontations in the context of development
projects, to an increased partnerships and
harmony in our region, to an improvement in
the lives of our people, and to much better re-
lations with governments.
BEC: What advice would you offer to both Gov-
ernments and Indigenous communities?
GC: To governments, I would say that Cana-
dians, largely as a result of the Truth and Recon-
ciliation Report, are ready for a new paradigm
in their relationship with Indigenous peoples.
They have finally begun, through many civil
society forums, to have the kinds of dialogues
with Indigenous peoples that would lead to
support for a radically new way of relating to
our First Nations and other Indigenous com-
Traditional activities Eeyou Istchee preparing hid
34 BUSINESS ELITE CANADA | JULY 2018
