The Development of Aboriginal People in Quebec under Canada

Li Hongfeng

Abstract：

Government economic development and the development of local people are mutually beneficial，although occasionally，contradictions are unavoidable.Since the 1970s，the Canadian federal government passed a large number of laws and regulations defining the rights and interests of the Aboriginal peoples.However，an ongoing consistent gap still exists between them and other population groups in terms of economic status and living standards.Academic studies on the Aboriginal peoples correspondingly lag behind.Let us take Quebec as an example.In 2012，a team led by Marc-Urbain Proulx published Regards sur léconomie des collectivités autochtones du Québec（Observations on the Economy of the First Nations People in Quebec），which was seen as one of the first publication on the economic situation of Aboriginal people in the academic community of Quebec.The historical background of the book is the “Plan Nord”，an economic development project put forward by the Quebec government.It is planned to last about 25 years with a total investment over C$80 billion.The Plan aims to promote economic and social development in the North，an area that covers 1.2 million square kilometers，which accounts for 72% of the total territory of Quebec.Launched in 2011 after long discussions and preparations，the Plan received wide queries among the local Aboriginal peoples and other concerned people.It also raised attention of the public，and especially academics，about the development of Aboriginal peoples.

There are 11 groups of Aboriginal peoples living in Quebec.Except for the Inuits，the other ten groups of American Indian peoples are usually called the First Nations.Compared with the vast area that the Plan covers，the population living on the land is rather small，only 2% of the total population of the province.Among those people，about 33，000 are Aboriginals，including over 10，000 Inuits.The number of Aboriginal peoples in Quebec is growing quickly，and an obvious trend of the rejuvenation of the population has already appeared.Half of the territory where the Aboriginal peoples reside，and which is covered in the Plan，has no links with the provincial transport network.Life there is very traditional，and the level of economic development is relatively low.A growing young population there intensifies the existing educational and employment problems.

In the formulation of the “Plan Nord”，bettering the living condition of local residents and stimulating an overall development of society，great importance was attached to the economy and culture.This was for the purpose of gaining the acceptance of local citizens，especially the Aboriginal peoples.Relevant components of the plan mainly refer to the following： education，job training，infrastructure and housing，health and culture.Overall，the Quebec government values its responsibility towards the Aboriginal peoples，and hopes to avoid misunderstandings or conflicts by responding positively to their requests.In terms of education and job training，Plan Nord takes improving local elementary education level as its core mission，and by doing so，hopes to increase enrollment and graduation rates.When it comes to higher education，the Quebec government also plans to raise investment for the colleges or universities in the area covered by the Plan.The most notable part of the Plan is career and technological training，something which is closely related to local economic development.At present，there are six job training agencies in this area，which is definitely not enough to support implementation of the Plan.Further plans and investments need to be carried out in accordance with specific projects or labor characteristics of the future developing process.Local residents，Aboriginal peoples included，will be more active in receiving continuing education if the Plan can bring them more job opportunities.

Once the North is developed and opened up，immigrant laborers will surely pour in.Thus，the Plan needs to consider how to meet the challenge of infrastructure and housing.Meanwhile，the housing problem of the Aboriginal peoples still remains unresolved.Problems related to both the quantity and quality of housesare especially significant in Nunavik.The exception is the 340-house- building plan negotiated and attained by the federal and Quebec government，together with Inuits representatives，in which a certain number of additional new houses will be constructed in Nunavik.In the Five Year Plan from 2015-2020，we find that part of the task of construction and financing is being undertaken by la Société dhabitation du Québec.

Another important aspect of the Plan is the health and social service agencies.The new infrastructure should not only meet the demands of the local inhabitants，but also supply necessary resources for immigrants，and satisfy their special needs.In order to build a secure health and labor safety system that is suitable for both the local residents and Aboriginal peoples，Plan Nord incorporates a scheme to construct an electronic medical service，or remote clinic network，in Nonavik and other regions inhabited by Aboriginal peoples.In addition，the government has also decided to establish an analysis procedure through which to evaluate the influences on the health of the local residents of specific projects.

The social governance framework of the Aboriginal peoples is complicated.From the 1970s to now，the Canadian federal and provincial governments have signed various agreements with different Aboriginal peoples to define and delineate the jurisdiction of both parties in areas such as education，the economy，society and land rights； areas that matter significantly to the survival and development of Aboriginal peoples.One of these is the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement which has far-reaching impacts on bilateral relations.Ever since the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s，the Quebec government has always resorted to negotiation with the Aboriginal peoples with regard to certain affairs or problems.For example，in 2011，in order to guarantee the modernization of the management mechanism，the Quebec government and the Cree First Nation signed an agreement framework on the governance of one region.This was a milestone in bilateral relations.Therefore，when it comes to the economic development involving the regions populated by the Aboriginals peoples，the Quebec government never bypasses negotiation with the Aboriginal peoples.

Though the focus of Plan Nord highlights improving the living standards and social development of the Aboriginal peoples and Northern residents，great disagreements still exist within the Aboriginal peoples and Quebec public.Some Aboriginal communities hold a positive attitude towards the Plan，believing it is beneficial，and will enable them to gain better opportunities from the economic development of the North.For example，the head of the Cree，Matthew Coon Come，believes they will have more chances to participate in social development.

However，the Plan also encountered wide opposition.The criticism is primarily rooted in the self-identification of the Aboriginal peoples，and specifically manifests itself in their demands about environment，education，infrastructure and Aboriginal economic and cultural development.Firstly，the Aboriginal representatives maintain a skeptical attitude with regard to the balance between energy exploitation and environmental protection.In addition，the Plans intention to establish depopulated or limited-populated conservation zones is criticized as “not in accordance with Aboriginal culture characteristics”.Secondly，in terms of education，both representatives and scholars point out that the promised investment into the Plans projects has not been put into practice.Currently，education agencies in the North cannot meet the demand，and many people hoping to receive continuing education，or study further，still have to go to the South.Thirdly，when it comes to infrastructure，the Aboriginal peoples think that house construction is still limited.The housing projects in the Plan are restricted only to the Nunavik area，which cannot even begin to meet the needs of local residents，let alone those of the immigrant workers.Moreover，it is the enterprises that can gain the most benefit from infrastructure such as roads，airports and ports，not the residents.Fourthly，the Plan fails to come up with a business startup mechanism for the Aboriginals when it is dealing with the issue of the Aboriginals economic development.Whats more，the Aboriginal peoples and scholars note that both old and new social problems should be addressed，for example，how to improve relations between immigrant workers and the Aboriginal peoples.

Meanwhile，feminists criticize the Plan，saying that it lacks a gender perspective.Social problems，like polarization between the rich and the poor，and prostitution，which accompanied the economic development，should be taken into consideration in order to prevent the possible further marginalization of Aboriginal women.How to make the provincial economy and the Aboriginal peoples advance side by side is a challenge that the Quebec government needs to meet in the next two decades.On the other hand，the Aboriginal peoples should take a more active role in education and job training in the process of economic development，so that they can engage in the entire development plan，and，by doing so，will finally share its fruit to a larger degree.

Key Words： Quebec； the Aboriginal peoples； Plan Nord

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