Ben Michel

From Ben Michel's speech to the Combined Councils of Labrador in January 2005:

In most of the countries, treaties were settled hundreds of years ago, but here in Labrador have been unfinished business. As you all know, leaving business unfinished has a cost. The uncertainty which results from the legal ambiguity over the ownership of land and resources creates a climate which is difficult for investment, difficult for partnership, and difficult to efficiently manage and govern.

Projects like Voisey’s Bay, which should have been operating years ago, become tied up in litigation and negotiation as a result. The same can be said of the Lower Churchill or military flight training or any number of other major developments.

The ongoing cost to all of us of this uncertainty — and I stress us — that’s every one of us here. I’m Innu, you’re settler, and we have some Inuit people here, and that’s us — the ongoing cost to all of us of this uncertainty, whichever the side of the table we may be on, can be measured in millions of dollars a year.

Modern land rights agreements are fundamentally about certainty. Now that the Inuit claim has been settled, we all know the rules for future projects in that part of Labrador. We can expect that the same will hold true in our territory when the Innu agreements have been concluded.

There will also be a clear and well-defined process for permitting development on Innu land, and there will be greater participation by Innu in decision-making in the co-management or settlement areas in our future agreement. Because Aboriginal people participate directly in the royalty benefits from resource development within their settlement areas, there is a clear incentive for Innu to partner with businesses who recognize and value our participation.

Land rights agreements are also about jurisdiction. Just as the Inuit collective lands have become Inuit Lands, there will be Innu lands. On these lands there will be Innu self-government, Innu laws will apply, and our members will enjoy certain rights and privileges.

How will these changes in jurisdiction affect other Labradorians? Unless you have a fundamental objection to renewing your cabin lease, or getting a hunting permit, from the Innu government instead of the Newfoundland government, it shouldn’t make much difference to anyone. If you are someone who thinks you can trust the Innu to make better decisions than the government in St. John’s, then that shouldn’t be a hard call for any true Labradorian to make.

[Applause]

It might even be an improvement.

If you are someone that is looking forward to the opportunity to supply products and services to our communities as we implement self-government and move our people forward, then a land rights agreement is something that you should be actively supporting. Once the treaties are in place, I firmly believe that the development of Labrador can unfold in a co-operative context. If negotiations continue to be obstructed by prejudice, or delayed by government inaction, we will lose this golden opportunity to work constructively together, and be force back into the confrontations and the conflicts of the past.

Achieving reconciliation between the Aboriginal peoples of Labrador, and those who have come here more recently, is, on the other hand, the key to unlocking Labrador’s economic and human potential, while on the other hand vital — vital — to ensuring that Labrador’s aboriginal peoples are able to sustain their culture and ways of life, and effectively steward the land and resources on which all of our futures depend.

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I dream about the day where Innu can work together with Labradorians in the spirit of partnership, respect, and co-operation for the future of our great land and the benefit of our children and all future generations, regardless of what their colour is or what culture they belong to. I firmly believe that. As the President of the Innu Nation, I want to say I believe there is tremendous opportunity for all of us here in this great land. But you must also try and understand that there is a door to which we can only come in. And that door is through the Aboriginal peoples. And that is something that I truly believe can be secured with respect, recognition, and reconciliation.