Why are the Innu claiming aboriginal rights?
Through the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement and the Northeastern Québec Agreement, the governments have agreed to treaties with the Crees, the Inuit and the Naskapi making it possible to settle their claims relating to their aboriginal rights. In other regions, where the rights of the aboriginal people have not been defined by treaty, the claims lead to negotiations or, in the absence thereof, to a solution imposed by the Courts. On the Côte-Nord and in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the Québec and Innu nations have inhabited the same territory for 400 years without any treaty having been signed. This situation does not promote the establishment of harmonious relations between the two communities. The Innu feel that the notion of aboriginal rights, as defined by the Supreme Court of Canada, applies to their situation. That is why they are claiming aboriginal rights. Negotiations on this subject between the governments of Québec and Canada and the Innu have been under way since 19
