I am saddened to see how impoverished we are and when I see how the government is treating the other Indian communities, the neighbouring communities. They are always handing out money to the other communities whether in Goose Bay or Sept-Iles or to the Naskapis. They have recreational facilities for their children. They have pools, whereas in our case we have nothing, and we see all our kids hanging out in front of the bar or outside the community store begging for money, you see all your kids outside the Hotel Royale. It’s an insult to us. It’s an insult to who we are in this community. It is very insulting. It’s a big offence to do what they did to this community, as the government did. Should we be envious of all the improvements to their lifestyle or the betterment of their communities with all these recreational facilities? The communities have all that, which is not the case with this community, and they have it because of these deals with the government or agreements or treaties with governments so they can improve their community’s facilities. Should we be jealous? I don’t know. Sometimes I look with envy and am jealous that they have all this and at the same time I applaud the fact that this community have continued to maintain that they wouldn’t sign the treaty with the government. I applaud it because it makes me proud that they haven’t signed away all rights in our culture. Signing away your rights is like signing away your culture. I am getting to a stage when I will be an old man soon and I have in mind the future of all my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren, and I think about what’s their future. It is a big insult what the governments have done to our people. They have insulted our people by letting this happen. By letting other people have our rights, by signing away our rights, the Canadian government has acted. The government gives service with one hand but takes something back with the other – gives programmes and services but takes away our rights.

I regret the fact that in all the discussion with the Naskapi, Inuit, the Cree, I regret the fact that I was not able to see any gains. It was not possible for me to move forward the negotiations in discussions with other leaders. It is hard for ordinary people to understand the James Bay Agreement. It has 24 chapters and is highly technical.

Couldn’t the Cree, Inuit and Naskapi have waited?