It was also signed by Quebec Native Women, the Regrouping of Native Friendship Centers of Quebec, Amnesty International Canada, Professor Carole Lévesque from the INRS, Peggie Jérôme from the organization Mino Obigiwasin, and Professors Suzy Basile and Sébastien Brodeur-Girard from the School of Native Studies at UQAT.
As an elected official, Mr Dufour has not done his duty, we can read there. Instead of helping to solve a major societal problem, his speech undermines social peace, reconciliation initiatives between peoples and cooperation between indigenous and non-indigenous organizations and institutions working in this field.
An evening of relaxation
On May 15, Pierre Dufour publicly condemned the representatives of the city of Val-d’Or during a municipal council meeting where nearly 80 citizens filled the room to express their anger at the increasing violence in the city center. Pierre Dufour regretted the way Mayor Celine Brindamour dealt with the problems of homelessness and crime in the inner city.
Mr Dufour also slammed Enquête de Radio-Canada’s report on indigenous women and also criticized the Viens Commission, which is responsible for investigating relations between Aboriginal people and certain public services.
Pierre Dufour during his speech on May 15th during the public session of the Val-d’Or municipal council.
Photo: Radio Canada / Marc-André Landry
“It’s unfortunate and harmful”
The signatories believe the MP’s oratorical flights of fancy discredit the testimonies of brave victims and reopen barely healed wounds among both Aboriginal women and the general public. His statements promote a radicalization of the discourse that opens the space for the expression of racism and systemic discrimination.
The Native Friendship Center and its allies also regret that these statements undermine the democratic process of the Viens Commission, a process which nonetheless opens the door to new dialogue and responsible and positive commitments.
In an interview on Tuesday’s program Des matins en or, Val-d’Or Native Friendship Center director-general Edith Cloutier said she was not convinced by the apologies made by Pierre Dufour on his Facebook page and in the radio interview – Canada.
Edith Cloutier emphasizes that Pierre Dufour’s words are “shocked”.
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Edith Cloutier emphasizes that Pierre Dufour’s words are “shocked”. 13-minute audio content, ICI premiere show. listen to audio.
Duration 13 minutes13:06
The day after the city council, I called Pierre Dufour, she says. We have always had a good working relationship and I wanted to personally express my outrage. I wanted to tell him that he failed to represent all of his citizens, which include homeless people and indigenous women.
“I felt no remorse and no very concrete action followed. He apologizes for hurting his feelings, but when it comes to sincere apologies, we talk a lot more about the impact words can have on vulnerable people. It’s unfortunate and harmful. »
– A quote from Edith Cloutier
Regarding the issue of homelessness and crime in downtown Val-d’Or, which is the focus of this file, Edith Cloutier recognizes that the situation is problematic. She reiterates that the Native Friendship Center is taking important actions on a daily basis.
We work together with everyone whose task it is to create social peace. There isn’t just one solution, but if people are feeling insecure, it’s because the reality of homelessness is increasing. Faced with the unknown, it creates fear and uneasiness. Our task is to reduce this feeling of insecurity as much as possible. It is not easy to implement a set of solutions, but it takes resources, energy, money and above all time to implement it properly in a complex context, she adds.
Possible consequences, according to indigenous women
Quebec Native Women President Marjolaine Étienne fears that Pierre Dufour’s comments on the 2015 inquiry report will have an impact on Indigenous women’s willingness to report abuse.
It can have consequences, it can slow them down, she says. In 2015, women plucked up the courage to speak out about a situation. It’s 2023 and it’s reappearing. It is important to respond to any unacceptable comments made by a member.
Marjolaine Étienne, President of Quebec Native Women. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio Canada / Ivanoh Demers
Indigenous women reiterate their demands on the government to recognize systemic racism and adopt the Joyce Principle.
“We hear that the Joliette incident was an isolated incident, we’re getting back on our feet in Val-d’Or with this case,” notes Marjolaine Étienne. These are not isolated cases. Everything connects. If we work towards acknowledging systemic racism, we can at least minimize the trends we are currently seeing, either in Val-d’Or or elsewhere. Otherwise, the transport takes place on different levels.