The Government of Canada is committed to a process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and to renewing relationships with them based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership.
In support of this commitment, Mr. Hugues Michaud, Executive Director, Quebec and Nunavut, Parks Canada Agency, and the Grand Chief of the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation, Jacques Tremblay, today announced the ratification of a Reconciliation and Rights Recognition Agreement between the First Nation and the Government of Canada.
Lands and waters administered by Parks Canada overlap with traditional territories, treaty lands and traditional lands of Indigenous peoples. The purpose of the Agreement is to encourage and increase the First Nation's participation in Parks Canada activities on the Wolastokuk, the traditional territory of the Wolastoqiyik.
The agreement provides a flexible framework for the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation and Parks Canada to develop initiatives, in a spirit of cooperation, transparency and innovation, to protect natural and cultural resources, enhance Wolastoqey culture and develop and create economic opportunities for the First Nation. The Indigenous Guardians program developed jointly between the First Nation and Parks Canada is a concrete example of the initiatives that are part of this new framework of cooperation outlined in the Agreement.
The cultures and identities of Indigenous peoples are rooted in the land, and honouring connections to place is an important element of reconciliation actions and outcomes. Parks Canada is committed to ensuring that Indigenous connections are honoured, and that the rights of Indigenous peoples are respected.
