PRESS RELEASE

Algonquins of Barriere Lake Issues Challenge to Federal Parties in Quebec

Ridings Covering their Territory
(Kitiganik, Algonquin Territory/September 16, 2015) Today a Quebec First Nation
issued questions to political parties to determine who is best capable of respecting their
rights in northwest Quebec. Chief Casey Ratt sent a letter to the main Federal Leaders
and Candidates in the federal ridings of Abitibi-Baie James-Nunavik-Eeyou and
Pontiac asking the following questions.
Our questions are: (further background information provided below):
1. If your party forms the government, will you agree to resuming full federal
participation in the Trilateral Agreement, including those aspects of the 1998
Agreement signed with Quebec, which require federal involvement?
2. If your party forms the government will you agree to engaging in good faith
negotiations to clarify the financial situation of our First Nation as provided in the
Special Provisions attached to and forming part of the Funding Arrangements
between ABL and DIAND from September 1997 until March 31, 2007, including
the issue of compensation for the decision by DIAND of January 23, 1996, to
place our First Nation into Third Party Management?
3. If your party forms the government will you agree to fulfilling the terms of the
Memorandum of Mutual Intent (MMI) signed by then ABL Chief, Harry Wawatie,
and then DM of DIAND, Scott Serson, on October 21, 1997, and to this end, to
negotiate a schedule and budget for fulfilling the elements of the Global
Proposal, attached to the MMI, including funding to enable the ABL to participate
in negotiations with AANDC?
4. If your party forms the government will you agree to negotiate a suitable joint
administration regime for the delivery of federal programs and services?
5. If your party forms the government will you agree to the appointment, as soon as
practicable after forming government, of a federal negotiator to negotiate the
above-noted items on behalf of the federal government, mandated by and
reporting directly to the Minister or the DM of AANDC in consultation with our
Special Representative Mr. Clifford Lincoln and myself as Chief to identify a
federal negotiator mutually acceptable to AANDC and our First Nation?

BARRIERE LAKE INDIAN GOVERNMENT

GOUVERNEMENT AUTOCHTONE DU LAC BARRIRE

Background
The electoral boundaries of the Abitibi-Baie James-Nunavik-Eeyou and Pontiac Federal
Ridings have been imposed over our traditional territory. In the 1991 resource comanagement agreement, this traditional territory was recognized as the Trilateral
Agreement Territory.
Our People have homes at our traditional settlement of Barriere Lake and in
areas/watersheds in the Abitibi-Baie James-Nunavik-Eeyou Federal Electoral Riding.
We also have an Indian Reserve at Rapid Lake, and many of our People have homes
throughout our Trilateral Agreement Territory in the Pontiac Federal Election Riding.
(see attached map).
Our Algonquin First Nation asserts Aboriginal Rights and Title within the Trilateral
Agreement Territory.
However, despite holding Aboriginal title to this unceded land, the socioeconomic
conditions of our community are extremely poor:

We have been marginalized onto a tiny 59-acre reserve at Rapid Lake, which is
overcrowded, dusty and badly eroding;

Unemployment rates are in the range of 80-90%;

There is a housing crisis in our community on the average, there are 7 persons
per home, but the actual numbers go as high as 18-23 per house;

Education achievement levels are low and the incidence of diabetes is high;

Community development has been stalled since the 2006 imposition of a federal
Third Party Manager to control and manage all governmental transfer payments;

On the positive side, our community has managed to maintain its language,
customs and traditional way of life.

In 2010, over the objections of a vast majority of our community, our community was
forced into the Indian Act elective system after governing ourselves by way of
customary governance traditions since time immemorial. Our current Chief and Council
have been elected to a second mandate, but we are planning to establish a community
process to return to our Algonquin customary system of governance.
Federal Governments Broken Agreements
In August 1991, the Governments of Canada and Quebec entered into an agreement
with our First Nation to develop and implement an Integrated Resource Management
Plan (IRMP) for forests and wildlife. In 2001, Canada left negotiations while Quebec
remained at the table.

BARRIERE LAKE INDIAN GOVERNMENT

GOUVERNEMENT AUTOCHTONE DU LAC BARRIRE

A draft IRMP covering the Trilateral Agreement Territory was substantially completed in
2006 and the Special Representatives of Quebec and the Algonquins in 2006 adopted 7
Joint Recommendations to implement the IRMP. In 2006, the Quebec government
broke off talks over resource revenue sharing. However, in the spring of this year
Quebec agreed to resume negotiations on revenue sharing and other issues such as
co-management of natural resources, expansion of the land base around the Rapid
Lake Reserve and electrification of the Rapid Lake Reserve, but Canada needs to be
involved in the expansion of the land base and electrification negotiations.
In 1997, Canada signed a Memorandum of Mutual Intent (MMI) with our First Nation.
The MMI had attached to it a Global Proposal for Rebuilding the Community of our
First Nation. The MMI committed the Department and our then Customary Council to
work together, in a partnership, toward the realization of the global plan and the MMI
also endorsed our communitys vision The MMI Global Proposal was developed with
our First Nation by federally appointed facilitators to implement our First Nations vision.
It was an acknowledgement of our First Nations dire conditions and proposed a
comprehensive support and development package from the federal government
to bring our First Nation to a level playing field with other communities. The elements of
this package include:
(1) Housing and infrastructure;
(2) Multi-functional/Community Centre/Administration Building;
(3) Education facilities;
(4) Community, Social and Educational Development;
(5) Governance and Administrative Development;
(6) Restoration and Consultation Costs;
(7) Trilateral Agreement; and
(8) Expanded Land-Base and Electrification.
The schedule contemplated for completion of the global proposal was five years.
Canada walked away from this MMI in 2001 and by 2006 had put our communitys
finances and administration under federally directed Third Party Management where we
have been ever since.

BARRIERE LAKE INDIAN GOVERNMENT

GOUVERNEMENT AUTOCHTONE DU LAC BARRIRE

Chief Casey Ratt stated Our community development is frozen and our social and
economic conditions arent improving under Canadas colonial system of control by
Third Party Managers. Our Council is requesting that the federal government honour the
previous agreements with our First Nation and in cooperation with our Council
implement our former Chief Wawaties Master-Plan for the expansion of our land-base
at Rapid Lake, as well as, the terms and conditions for the electrification of Rapid Lake.
We want a decisive voice in our community development! Thats why we have sent
these questions to the federal parties. To see if they will honour the agreements they
signed with our First Nation and depending on their answers to see if we will have a
future based on cooperation or continued conflict!.
-30For More Information Contact:
Chief Casey Ratt
Tony Wawatie, Interim Director-General
Michel Thusky (French) Spokesperson

BARRIERE LAKE INDIAN GOVERNMENT

Cell: (819) 441-8002

Cell: (819) 355-3662
Telephone: (819) 435-2171

GOUVERNEMENT AUTOCHTONE DU LAC BARRIRE