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19 Ouje-Bougoumou Meskino Ouje-Bougoumou Qc. G0W 3C0

www.cweia.ca

STATEMENTPRESENTEDTO

PublicInquiryCommissiononrelationsbetweenIndigenousPeoplesandcertainpublicservicesinQuébec:listening,reconciliationandprogress

At Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association (CWEIA), our mission is to develop and sustainIiyiyiuu-IiyinuuIskweuch(CreeWomen)throughsignificantinitiativesofhealing,cultureandsocio-economicdevelopment.Aswecarrythevoicesofthesewomen,weaccomplishouractionsthroughrepresentation as well as our active participation in the search and implementation of possiblesolutions. Our values and principles as Iiyiyiuu-Iiyinuu Iskweuchentail thatwe also participate inadvocacyeffortstosolveissuesrelatedtothepresentconditionsofindigenouswomen.

Through the tenyearsofourofficial existence,wehave cultivateda strong relationshipwithourmembers through culturally secure spaces and democracy. As a grassroots organization, CWEIAstrives to be part of a positive transformation of women’s status and roles in Iiyiyiuu Istchee,provincial,nationaland international societies.Today,weareseizing thisopportunitynotonly toshare concerns voiced by our members, but also to bring forth a few recommendations to beconsideredbythecommissioninchargeofthisinquiryand,toensureitssuccesses.

One of themost notable concerns that has come to CWEIA’s attention is a general loss of trustIiyiyiuu-IiyinuuIskweuchhaveexpressedtowardpublicservicesprovidedbytheprovinceofQuébecin addition to cynicism regarding political efforts set into motion. Either it be through systemicracism,insensitivitytoindigenousculturesordiscriminationingeneral,alackofawarenesscanbeobserved inmany instances,oftenbeing the sourceof tensionsbetween indigenouspeoplesandpublicserviceproviders.Thisonlybeginstorevealthepressingneedforchange,especiallyintermsofgeneraleducationandawarenessofindigenousrealities.

Due to our specific geographical situation and limited resources, many communities in IiyiyiuuIstcheemustrelyonurbancenterssuchasVald’Or,ChibougamouandMontréalforawiderangeofreasons. Interactions between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples become unavoidable andsometimesresultintraumaticand/orunpleasantsituations.Manyhave

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sharedpersonal stories andexperiences thathave left them reluctant toeither come forwardorfurtherutilize thepublic services located in thesesettings.A lackofneutralandculturally secureways to file thesecomplaintshasalsobeennotedas itoftendiscourages thesepeople to furtherpursueanyformsofjustice.

Althoughtheeffectsarenotlimitedtothissector,healthservicescanbeusedtodemonstratehowthese issues and concernsmanifest themselves in the relations between indigenous peoples andpublic services.We take theexampleof pregnantwomenwho, in their final trimester, areoftensentawayfromtheirhomecommunitiestogivebirthinoneoftheaforementionedurbanareas.Inspiteofthefactthatanescortoftenaccompaniestheseexpectantmothers,themeasuresputintoplace do not reduce unnecessary stress imposed on these women and the children they carry.Additionally,manyareunawareof therightstheyareentitledtosuchasthe legalobligationofahealth careprofessional to respect anexpectantmother’s birthingplan. In fact,Article 11of theQuébecCivilCodestates thatnounnecessaryprocedurescanbecarriedoutwithouta justifiablemotiveortheclearconsentofthepatient.Inspiteofthis,therearehavebeencaseswheredoctorshave unjustifiably provoked births with the motive of providing a faster service that does notnecessarilysuggestbetterqualityorrespectofthepatient’srights.

Forthenon-indigenouspeoples,anawarenessplanshouldbe implemented,making itmandatoryforeveryone,includingpublicserviceproviders,tolearnabouttheseissuesthatwefaceonadailybasis. A greater promotion and awareness of our rights is also essential in dealing with suchsituations. Many Iiyiyiuu-Iiyinuu are still unfamiliar with the extent of their rights when utilizingcertainpublic services, thusnotallowing themtobenefit fromthem inaway that shouldalwaysrespect their integrity. This information should be made accessible (i.e vulgarized) and madeavailable inall indigenous languagessuchas Iiyiyiuu-Iiyinuuayimun (Cree language).Thisway,wemay lower the languagebarriersat the sourceof certainmisunderstandings,andalso the lackofdenunciationsessentialtoendingthemistreatmentsexperiencedthroughthesepublicservices.

It is CWEIA’s sincerewish that the provincial commissionwill lead to the improvement of publicservicespresentlybeingofferedtoourpeople.However,forthistobepossible, it is importanttorespectourvisionandensuretheculturalsecuritythatourpeoplerequirethroughthisprocess,andespecially in the institutions and services concernedby this inquiry.Our Iiyiyiu-Iiyinuuheritage isone defined by the holistic vision of our ancestors. Everything and everyone is to be taken intoconsideration.Inthiscase,allsectorsmustbeinvolved,includingeducation,

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whichispresentlyabsentfromtheinvestigationincourse.Itisthroughpropereducationthatnon-indigenous peoples involved in these public services become aware of our cultures. A holisticapproachalsoallowsforabetter,moreinclusiveassessmentofthecurrentsituation,thusallowingabettercourseofaction.

So far, manymembers of our communities have expressed their doubts in regards to politicallymotivated efforts set forth by governments of colonial heritage. We hope that the processesundertakenbythepresentinquiryareguidedbyrealisticgoalsandrespondstoourexpectationsinterms of outcome, action and inclusion. Indigenous people are now weary of such ways ofproceeding, especially due to shortcomings experienced in the past and even the present. TheNationalInquiryonMissingandMurderedIndigenousWomenandGirls(MMIWG)isanexampleofthe uncertainty such processes are already causing among First Nations people. Following theresignationofmanycommissionersandtheabsenceofconcreteresultsduetoanunrealistictimeframeimposedbythegovernment,hopesforconcreteresultsremainuncertain.Forthisreason,itisimportantthatthemeansofactionsusedtobringforththesechangesbereflectiveofourwaysandnotsolelydefinedbygovernmentalrequirements.

One of the recommendationswewish to bring forward, is the creation ofmechanisms thatwillensure that the final reports of this commission reflect the needs of First Nations, such as theIiyiyiuu-Iiyinuu Iskweuch that are represented by CWEIA. It is also important that the processcontinues beyond the submission of this final report in question. Focus groups and reviewingcommittees need to be established to ensure that the recommendations be put into place in aninclusivemanner,thusputtingourwordsintoaction.Itisessentialthatavarietyofindigenousofalllevelsbeinvolvedinthisplighttowardreconciliation.Takingthisintoconsideration,measuresneedto be taken to include the variety voices concerned by making this process more accessible tograssrootsorganizationssuchasours.

It isalsoimportanttotakeamomenttoassessthecurrentstandingbetweenindigenouspeoples,thepublicserviceprovidersandthegovernment.Generallyspeaking,thenecessityofdecolonizingourstructuresisareoccurringthemeregardingthisissue.Aswehavealreadymentioned,languagebarriersareanexampleofthewayswearebeingexcludedfromcertainprocessesandservices.Wethink and speak like Iiyiyiuu-Iiyinuupeople, howeverCWEIAmust carrymanyof its operations inEnglish. Considering the province’s stance on the French language, we are often subject to anadditional language barrier notably in the availability of forms, services and resources. Coloniallanguagesprimeoverourown languages, in turn revealing the lackofvalueourculturalheritagehasinnon-indigenoussocieties.Itisimportant

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thattheseelementsofourculturesbeembeddedinthelegislationofourprovince,andeventhiscountryasawhole.Throughoutthe3148articlesoftheQuébecCivilCode,theFirstNationspeopleare mentioned only once, leaving no mention of our specific realities and rights as indigenouspeoples.Abetterinclusionoftheserealitiesiskeyintheeliminationofanyprejudicewepresentlylive.

Thisbringsus towonder if thegovernment is trulywillingtobring forththesenecessarychangeswhich will involve major concessions on their part in addition to admitting their role in thissituation.Recently,thecurrentPremierofQuebec,Mr.PhillipeCouillard,hasexpressedhisdoubtsregardingtheCommissiononSystemicRacisminQuébec,goingasfarastoremodelitsformattoaforum.Inadditiontoreducingthemandateofanotherinquirytreatingofanissuethatimpactsus,thegovernmenthaschangedwordingstoalleviatethegravityofthesituation.Theyspeaknowof“valuing diversity and fights against discrimination” instead of referring to the harsh truth ofsystemic racism created by the colonial heritage of this government. We mention this as anexample of the lopsided relationship that is presently maintained and also in hopes that thegovernmentofQuébecwillnotdownplaytheresultsofthiscommission.

With theQuébecprovincial elections approaching,we fear thepotential candidateswhowish togatherindigenousvoteswillusetheresultsofthiscommissionforpoliticalgain.Fromanindigenousstandpoint,reluctancetoshareoursolutionsisoftenmotivatedbythefearthatotherinstanceswillappropriateoursolutionstotheirowninterestandleavetheFirstNationsoutoftheprocess.Thisbringsustomentionthepaternalisticwaysthatarestillcommonpractice.Thisincludesthepoliticalintentionswithwhichwearebeingapproachedbynon-indigenousentities,oftencharacterizedbythe colonial power coming to the rescue of the indigenous peoples. It is important that weapproachtheseissuestogetherinawaythatallowstheFirstNationscommunitiesoftobringtheirinputintheimplementationforsolutions.

Beforecolonization,ourpeoplegovernedthemselvesinawaythatwasself-sufficientandreflectiveoftheirways.Now,afterassimilationefforts,wehavebeendeprivedofthemeansandresourcesnecessary to our self-determination. Our own Iiyiyiuu-Iiyinuu institutions have become carboncopiesoftheonesfoundincolonialsocieties.Slowly,wearereclaimingourwaystoensureabetterfuture for the upcoming generations. Let us not forget thatwe, as indigenous peoples, hold thesolutions to the improvementofourconditions. It is important thatwebeallowedthemeans toachievetheirimplementation,hopefullythroughpartnershipsthataredefinedbyequalitybetweenoursocieties.

Asbearersof these futuregenerations, Iiyiyiuu-Iiyinuu Iskweuch,must reconnectwith their rootsbasedontheircultureandidentity.Therecommendationswebringwillhopefullycontributetotheprogressnecessarytomoveforward.

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SUMMARYOFRECOMMENDATIONS

1. Theimplementationofanawarenessplana. Make it mandatory for non-indigenous service providers to receive proper

educationaboutindigenouspeoples,ourhistoryandourcurrentrealitiesb. Promotionofourrightsbymakingthemaccessibleandeasytounderstand

2. Ensuringculturalsecuritya. Eliminating language barriers to ensure comprehension and better

understandingb. Integrateourholisticvisionwithintheinstitutionsc. Secure,culturallyreflectivespacesthataredepoliticized

3. Mechanismstoensurethefinalreportandactionsofthiscommissionreflectthepeopleconcerned.

a. Implementareviewingcommitteesandfocusgroupstoanalyzethefinalreportbeforefinalsubmission.Inallcases,indigenouspeopleofallwalksoflifearetobeincluded.Inotherwords,thisshouldbeopentothepublicandtransparent.

4. Decolonizingourstructuresa. Our cultural rights need to be included in our legislation, notably theQuébec

CivilCode.b. Revise and integrate in the frameworks and policies respecting First Nations

people’sidentity,culture,andwayoflife.