BC Mining Advocates Urge Indigenous Engagement as Projects Face Legal Action in Quebec and Ontario – EnergyNow
March 20, 2024
The Quebec government’s Northern Action Plan/Plan Nord promises that a total of $2.6 billion will be invested in “the sustainable development of the territory north of the 49th parallel.”
Premier François Legault declared that, in this latest version of Plan Nord, “particular attention has also been paid to the social and cultural realities of northern First Nations and Inuit communities, in order to guarantee their development and vitality.”
Geographically, the plan covers 1.2 million square kilometres, 72 percent of Quebec, and an area larger than France. It includes 31 communities of Inuit, Cree, Innu and Naskapi Nations.
The plan includes development of mining for critical minerals, but we have yet to hear how such projects will affect Indigenous communities. Earlier versions of Plan Nord proposed in 2011 and 2015 were met with mixed reactions at best from Indigenous groups.
