Quebec premier to meet First Nations leaders Wednesday

Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will meet representatives of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) on Wednesday, days after skipping a summit in Ottawa between premiers and Indigenous leaders, a spokesperson for his government said Monday.

The Parti Québécois leader was criticized for his absence from Monday’s meeting, which was organized by the federal government. His team had suggested last week that he would not attend because the timeline was too tight, given the transition under way in Quebec City since the Oct. 5 election, The Canadian Press reported.

Charles Milliard, leader of the official opposition, criticized the premier in a social media post for “leaving Quebec’s seat empty” even though he had promised to collaborate with the rest of Canada (translated from French).

Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, the new minister of relations with First Nations and Inuit, said the decision was “deliberate and well-considered.” He wrote on social media that the Quebec government meets Indigenous nations directly, nation to nation, on its own territory, rather than at a table organized by the federal government (translated from French). He said the framework, timeline and parameters of the Ottawa meeting remained very vague, and noted that the premiers of Alberta and British Columbia were also absent.

St-Pierre Plamondon confirmed Friday that he would skip the Conseil de la fédération session with Indigenous chiefs, the first of its kind in 21 years. He told La Presse Canadienne his government should meet Indigenous nations on their territory without federal co-ordination, but said that did not rule out taking part in future. He said he planned to meet AFNQL Chief Francis Verreault-Paul and some nations before Christmas, according to Noovo Info.

We first reported on the premier’s plans in our story on how the Quebec premier will skip the First Nations meeting in Ottawa. The new government took office as we reported when the PQ cabinet was sworn in, and the AFNQL’s leader is Francis Verreault-Paul.

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Via The Canadian Press and Noovo Info.