The Cree Nation of Mistissini has given a chance to Strateco to present and explain the Matoush project, even if though we have opposed the project from the beginning. We have looked and listened. Especially, we have listened to the Cree people of Mistissini. Today, I have no doubt: uranium mining is not locally accepted in Eeyou Istchee. I am here to deliver this message on behalf of the Cree Nation of Mistissini and on behalf of the people. I will be clear and I will be firm. There will be no uranium exploration on our traditional land. This tribunal has some power but this is not where the buck stops. In the days to come, we will make our message clear to both provincial and federal governments. I can assure the people of Mistissini that I will do whatever it takes to protect our land and our rights.
 

At the unveiling of its "Plan Nord", Jean Charest said that the plan respects the rights of Aboriginal people, giving the example of the chefs who donned the project and downplaying those who dared to raise some opposition. In an open letter published on June 7th, in the La Presse Newspaper (Plan Nord : un projet de bâtisseurs), Yvan Loubier, Senior Advisor for National, also ridiculed the opposition of indigenous leaders by writing:

Since the Kahnawake Mohawk community announced its plan to develop a wind energy project in Montérégie’s rural municipality of Saint-Cyprien-de-Napierville, opposition has grown increasingly fierce. An opposition group – "Le Vent tourne (Winds of Change)" – was formed with the support of city council, which officially came out against the project.

An especially striking aspect of media coverage in Canoe and the Journal de Montréal has been the use of the Warrior Society flag every time (or nearly every time) Mohawks are mentioned. I’m sure it would not be tolerated if an Ontario media company used the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) logo to illustrate a story about Quebec. Not all Mohawks are members of the Warrior Society, any more than all Quebecers are members of the FLQ.

Last Friday, January 28th, it was reporter Gilles Proulx’s turn to add his name to reporters joining the ranks of the Journal de Montréal campaign, along with other Quebecor-owned media, to denounce the Mohawks (particularly from Kahnawake). In his column “Mohawk contraband : there is no smoke without fire”.

The Mohawks of Kahnawake (Kahnawákeró:non) seem to fascinate the media, particularly those of the QMI agency (Quebecor ) these days, and the Journal de Montréal since a long time. But do these reporters know this community? Not sure …

One of the hottest topics in the Journal de Montréal for the past few years has been what they call “contraband tobacco” (contrebande de tabac) or Indian cigarettes. This subject was recently examined by the Journal and the other Quebecor media agencies, including TVA and LCN, and on the RDI program 109. While the RDI report demonstrates greater objectivity than those broadcast elsewhere, it makes the same old mistake of tarring everything with the same brush.

Life is quiet in Kahnawake and Kanesatake. I swear. I want to emphasize it because we’re bombarded by recent news reports on TVA, LCN, the Journal de Montréal, Canal Argent, Canoë and other Quebecor Media (QMI) owned agencies that are leading us to believe that another «Oka crisis » is imminent. What a joke! Journalists with hare-brained ideas looking for sensationalism are behind this.

For motives that I question, Quebecor Media has recently decided to carry out a major disinformation campaign against the Mohawk Nation, particularly the communities of Kahnawake and Kanesatake. This campaign revolves around a series of Quebecor style sensationalist articles, “exclusive” news and investigations that we’ve been reading on a daily basis on every platform of Quebec’s largest media conglomerate.

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, announced that his country is now endorsing the United Nations Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. This is excellent news, since the USA was the last of all states that voted against the adoption of the Declaration. Canada did endorse it on November 12.