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| Last updated at 9:50 AM on 06/10/08 |
Innu Nation's 'New Dawn' deal not well received 
Many residents not happy with lack of input
JENNY MCCARTHY
The Labradorian
Community meetings on what could be the final land claims agreement for the Innu Nation of Labrador began last week, only a few days after the agreement was announced.
Jim Nui, a resident of Natuashish, is upset that his community's input was not requested until after the deal was done.
"More public information sessions should have taken place by Innu Nation over the years," he said.
Instead, he said the leaders worried too much about the questions members of the communites posed such as 'what portion of the land did you surrender and why?'
"They have a job to do and that was to inform the members of the ongoing negotiation. They never did."
Last Friday the leaders of the Innu Nations, Sheshatshiu and Natuashish band councils signed the Tshash Patapen or the New Dawn Agreement. It won't be final until the people of both Natuashish and Sheshatshiu vote for or against it.
Peter Penashue, the deputy grand chief of the Innu Nation presented the deal at a community consultation in Sheshatshiu last week. He said consulting the community while the agreement was being negotiated simply wasn't possible.
"It's silly to have a meeting before the actual negotiations. If we were to negotiate with the high level negotiators like the people we dealt with, on each item we would have to run back to the community and return with a decision. Just imagine how cumbersome that would be and the cost. We wouldn't get anything done. And there isn't a consensus on the issues," he said.
He said the consultations last week did go well and nearly 100 people of the 1,500 who live in the community attended. From those people he said, the feedback was mainly positive and they looked forward to seeing the deal carried out.
He said he also explained the agreement over the local radio station, which grand Chief Mark Nui did in Natuashish as well.
Mr. Nui agreed that the deal itself is important for the Innu people of Labrador.
"It shows how determined the Innu people are, in terms of self-government, having land control, and the hard work that finally pays off, with the involvement of our local elders."
Mr. Nui's problem with the agreement is that the way the making of the deal was carried out, leaving questions as to who the deal will benefit and why the community didn't have a say in the terms of negotiation.
Mr. Nui is not alone in his sentiments. A Facebook group with a growing membership echoes his feeling. Most people leaving comments on the site, which is devoted to Innu land claims and self-government, have spoken of the deal as being too rushed and the need for community consultations. They have also voiced concerns about the communites not benefiting from the agreement.
There were community consultations in Sheshatshiu and Natuashish but anyone not in town on Monday or Tuesday would have missed their chance to hear what's happening from the community leaders and voice their own opinions on the deal. In both communities consultations began on Monday and ended by Wednesday.
Mr. Penashue said the annual general meeting in Sheshatshiu for the Innu Nation community members will also give people a chance to have their say and ask questions about the agreement. The agreement itself is available for viewing by members at the Innu Nation office as well as the land claims area map. For non-members a copy of the agreement is available on the Provincial Governments website.
The government has to agree to any changes that the Innu Nation requests to renegotiate and vice versa. Unless both parties agree, everything that's already been agreed to cannot be renegotiated.
This means that even with community consultations, the members can't say they want 5,000 square miles of land that the Innu Nation will own to be changed to 7,000, or 16,000, which is what the Labrador Inuit received under their land claims agreement.
The Business Side
As to who the deal will benefit, Mr. Nui said the people he sees benefiting the most from it are the leaders who also have involvement in business. Under the New Dawn Deal Innu owned businesses have priority in the issuing of contracts and four hundred million is the target set for Innu business participation or the total value of contracts allocated to Innu businesses.
There are two types of Innu businesses that would have access to contracts with the Lower Churchill Hydro development project. They are businesses that are owned by Innu Nation itself, meaning the profits are owned by the entire community and handled by the Innu Nation government, and those that are owned or co-owned by private individuals in the two Innu communities.
When asked whether he had any personal business interest in Lower Churchill, Mr. Penashue said he has a business, which is a local computer and technology store, and it would have no interest in the Lower Churchill development contracts.
Mr. Penashue said everyone from the two communites has the opportunity to establish business partnerships and take advantage of the opportunities for business partnerships that exist.
He said the people that complain are those that have businesses but don't want to promote them.
Mr. Nui is former vice president of Innu Nation and he is also a former band councilor of the Mushuau Innu Band council in Natuashish. He said he's seen the conflict of interests first hand.
As to who owns what businesses, the information is available to members of Innu Nation communites in a business registry. There are currently nearly 60 businesses on the business registry list but for many businesses, the owners, co-owners and shareholders names are blacked out.
Voices against the Churchill development
Still more people are upset that a deal to develop the Lower Churchill was part of the agreement at all.
Elizabeth Penashue has long objected to the development of the Lower Churchill and she has found her own ways of demonstrating her stance from holding meetings with other Innu elders, to spending a week on the Churchill River canoeing to demonstrate the loss that will ensue if the river is dammed.
Now, to show her disproval of the New Dawn agreement she has planned a walk from HV-GB to Gull Island. She's done this before. Two years ago the walk took her four days, camping overnight along the way.
For her, preserving the land takes priority over making money from the river's hydropower.
"I don't want to see what happened a couple years ago with the Upper Churchill Falls happen again. I'm very protective of the land, the rivers, the animals and the young people. It's very important for the environment, for the Innu people and for the young people," she said.
Her walk will start at the beginning of Churchill Road on Monday, October 13.
Benefits of the agreement
As part of the new agreement, the Innu Nation was awarded $100 million in redress for damage caused to traditional land after flooding in the 1960's. Upon ratification of the agreement they will receive $2 million per year until the Upper Churchill Project agreement expires in 2041. They will also receive 5 per cent of net royalties from the Lower Churchill Project if and when it is developed. During construction of the project they will receive $50 million over a period of 10 years. Apart from the Churchill deal, the agreement sets out lands that the Innu Nation membership will own as well as settlement areas and shared usage areas with the Nunatsiavut government.
As to where the money is being spent and if the Innu Nation is considering programs and education to further help the people of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish, Mr. Penashue said those options are still being discussed.
reporter@thelabradorian.ca
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06/10/08
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Simeon Tshakapesh from natuashish, NL, writes: I think this is good deal for the future Innu to come, Both Communities Sheshatshit, Natuashish
My only hope of this agreement will motivate younger generation will keep study of trades, and getting the education. I want to stress the young people start thinking about going careers. One of the things will come very handy. Nurses, Wildlife officers,pilots, police offers,fisheries,computers skills, social workers, and many more things to come..
Over all, I think this is good agreement for both Communities. look at all the jobs we will get if we get the trades and study one of these important careers.. and many more to come.. on the verge of self governmenr of the Innu of Labrador. (My Late Grandfather John Poker) Time has come and it;s time to move on for the better future for our children, grandchildren, our fellow Innu said Simeon Tshakapesh
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| Posted 06/10/2008 at 2:39 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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herman Montague from Sheshatshiu, Labrador writes: This deal would be exactly like the Voisey Bay Nickel deal, our own people will get only sub-contractor(Lab Catering)positions again and as for earthworks will be again under another sub-contractor as well. Our people are not ready for this kind of mega project due to lack of trades and training. As a former Innu Nation Environmental monitor for the Voisey's Bay project, this project is only for short term jobs for us Innu and moreover it's a better deal for the province than us. As for conflict of interests for aboriginal-joint ventures. I would like to ask the Innu Nation, why are the names blacked out on the Innu Business registry? The SSS executive committee are always trying to hide something. This deal is sour and getting more sour by the day. Also, it will cause too much environmental damage as flooding will do after so many years cause Methel-mercury poisoning in our fish, then our animals, and then us who are mainly dependent on living off the land. It's just not worth it. Money always comes and goes. My mother(Elder)was born At Gull Island and she clearly states, This is my playground and where I grew up when I was young with my parents, And I would be very dissappointed if something happens to it. To me it's only money, and money isn't everything.
Herman Montague Jr.
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| Posted 11/10/2008 at 11:14 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Mark Davis the kid from Happy Valley from Toronto, ON writes: Too bad the Innu of Labrador are the most corrupt of all First Nations in Canada. They could have been our strongest hope for saving the River. Any other First Nation in Canada would never allow a government - especially one as devious as that of the island of the squidjiggers - to come in and destroy a river as Great as Grand River. All we can hope is for the True Innu of Labrador to make a stand and overpower those amongst them that would sell out their land for so many Dodge Rams and Ski-Doos.
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| Posted 24/11/2008 at 2:24 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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