With the benefit of hindsight, Hydro-Québec's big boss, Michael Sabia, recognizes that the state-owned company has failed to act appropriately in the past by launching projects that have left a deep mark on the Innu community of Pessamit, where a “historic” Framework agreement with Quebec was signed by the government on Thursday.
“No,” he was not apologizing, Mr. Sabia clarified in an interview with journalists. “But it is about recognizing and understanding the impact of some of the projects we have undertaken in the past. » Does this mean that Hydro-Québec has not acted appropriately in the past? “From a 2024 perspective, I would probably say yes,” agreed the Crown corporation’s president and CEO.
Mr. Sabia had just signed a $45 million six-year framework agreement with Pessamit boss Marielle Vachon and prime minister François Legault. Pessamit and Hydro-Québec are entering “a new era,” Mr. Legault said happily.
The parties agreed to a two-year truce in the hope of reaching a proposal to “launch very interesting projects in the field of wind power,” Mr. Sabia summarized, without giving further details. During negotiations, Quebec committed not to raise the level of the Manicouagan reservoir. For her part, Pessamit is putting on hold the series of legal proceedings it has initiated against Quebec.
“Get rich without hiding us”
Any agreement reached at the end of the negotiations will require consultation with the people of Pessamite. And for good reason: the residents of this community of 2,000 people were eagerly awaiting the representatives of Hydro-Québec and the government.
Pessamit has 13 hydroelectric power plants and 16 dams on its territory, which were put into operation without consultation with the Innu. But today “it doesn’t work like it used to,” Councilwoman Christine Vallée told Mr. Sabia, her sound company.
“They have been getting rich off our backs for 70 years. They have lived on Nitassinan, the territory of all Innu, for 70 years. They ensure that electricity works with all of our resources. There’s something that doesn’t work,” she then told Le Devoir. “We gain a lot with the framework agreement,” emphasized boss Vachon. “The government is listening to us, whereas before it wasn't. […] They know what awaits them now. I never threaten, but I know how to stand up to governments and Hydro-Québec,” she said.
Hydro-Québec's flooding of the Pessamite Territory, and particularly its cemetery, left a deep mark on the community. “It has been several years since there have been negotiations, conflicts and disputes,” emphasized Prime Minister Legault. “ [Ici] At Pessamite there had been no trial started for ten years, and before that it had failed, so there was no one who thought it would be easy. »
In the room, Elder Jean-Marie Bacon illustrated this with an eloquent example. The last time he saw a prime minister in his community was in 1957, he said. The head of government was Maurice Duplessis.
The presence of government and Hydro-Québec officials has left scars in the community, agreed First Nations and Inuit Relations Minister Ian Lafrenière. “People were scared. It is a reaction that must be understood,” he emphasized. He himself has been working on this file since the summer. “The first few times I came here and there with the chef, it wasn't easy. To put it bluntly, I didn’t think we would reach an agreement,” he admitted.
Residents concerned about the agreement were invited to an information session attended by dignitaries that evening, a few hours after the ceremony.
Wind power and a model to recreate
The 45 million granted by Quebec are neither “a settlement of old conflicts with Hydro-Québec nor a contribution to a possible partnership,” clarified François Legault. “It's really about helping the community.” » Quebec has wind projects in its sights and others the prime minister wouldn't talk about.
In 2018, the CAQ leader said he wanted agreements like the Peace of the Brave with each of Quebec's indigenous nations. He repeated this promise on Thursday. “We want to reconcile and reach agreements in which we carry out projects together in an area that we share,” he explained.
On several occasions, Mr. Sabia said he wanted to resolve “problems from the past” – again without wanting to say more. “There will be opportunities to work in a true partnership with the community,” he emphasized. He said he wanted to “encourage direct participation.” […] to create independent sources of income for each of these communities.”
With Sébastien Tanguay