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As the Chief of the AFNQL foi the past 2u yeais, you will appieciate that my piimaiy uuty is cleaily
to piomote anu ensuie the uefence of Quebec Fiist Nations' iights.
It is on this basis that I extenueu an invitation on moie than one occasion to Ninistei valcouit to
finu consensus on a piocess foi consultation anu collaboiation. I have also shaieu with him oui
analyses of his bill anu oui iequests to make suie oui euucation iights aie not compiomiseu. In
spite of it all, oui effoits have iemaineu unansweieu.
In this instance, I take it as an insult to my position anu mainly to the Fiist Nations as a whole whom
I iepiesent the fact that the ministei uiu not iesponu to my invitation oi to the analyses which weie
piesenteu. This uemonstiates, on the pait of a goveinment that has uone nothing to impiove oui
euucation since coming to office, uttei contempt foi oui institutions anu foi oui Fiist Nations.
Let us take a look at the announcement of last Febiuaiy 7
th
. The Piime Ninistei stateu that an
agieement hau been ieacheu with the AFN, anu he even iefeiieu to a histoiical agieement. Let me
claiify iight now that the AFN uoes not have the manuate to concluue an agieement on behalf of oui
communities in Quebec.
Nuch iemains to be uone anu claiifieu befoie iatifying an agieement that is obligateu to incluue
piioi, fiee anu infoimeu consent to any bill which coulu affect oui iights. An agieement must fiist
be ieacheu on a piocess foi consultation anu collaboiation. Nostly, we neeu to make suie the bill
uoes not compiomise oui iights, but iathei facilitates the full exeicise of these iights.
0ui analyses uo not allow us to shaie the optimism of the AFN anu the enthusiasm of the Piime
Ninistei who talks about a histoiical agieement. Quite the contiaiy, oui analyses show that
basically, the only change in the bill is the name. 0ui iight to contiol oui euucation cannot be
ieuuceu meiely to a constiaint of auministeiing a system whose ciiteiia, iesponsibilities of oui
employees anu goveinance mouel aie uictateu by a legislation elaboiateu by officials fiom anothei
oiuei of goveinment.



In light of the wiue objection to its bill, the goveinment, thiough this announcement of last Febiuaiy
7
th
, tiieu to sell us its bill by piomising laige numbeis. All this is happening eight yeais aftei having
constantly uenieu a neeu foi auuitional financing, uespite all the eviuence foi such a neeu anu aftei
having uone nothing to impiove the situation. Not only will this money aiiive aftei a feueial
election, but theie is no guaiantee that this buuget iepiesents new funuing oi iecycleu funuing fiom
existing piogiams. In effect, many oiganizations have ieceiveu majoi funuing cuts the last few
yeais.
Foi infoimation puiposes only, the analysis shows a gap of seveial millions between the amount
announceu foi infiastiuctuies anu the estimate of iequiiements conuucteu by the 0ffice of the
Pailiamentaiy Biiectoi in 2uu9. In fact, an inteiesting analysis was conuucteu by a law fiim,
0LTB0IS KLEER T0WNSBENB - LLP, which is incluueu in the piess kits.
Beyonu the announceu buuget, theie is concein that theie will be conuitions attacheu on the
consultation piocess to uevelop the law in euucation.
Faceu with the aiiogance, the ueceit anu the contempt shown by this goveinment by its attituue, I
cannot uepait fiom my piimaiy uuty which is to piotect oui iights. With iespect to the application
foi juuicial ieview, the honoui of the Ciown is at stake heie, anu oui application is an appeal to the
Feueial Couit to call this goveinment to oiuei.