C. The Relocation of the Mushuau Innu

There is no doubt that the commitment to the relocation of the Mushuau Innu and the building of the new community of Natuashish is one of the most significant actions taken by the Government for the Innu. Notwithstanding the delays, the cost overruns and the disappointing results in terms of Innu training, relocation offers the Mushuau Innu a substantial opportunity and will provide them with a community and resources that bear practically no comparison whatsoever to their present conditions in Davis Inlet.

Relocation provides an incredible opportunity; it also poses an enormous challenge. It could change the future for the Mushuau Innu or it could fail. This could be an opportunity for the transformation of the community, or it could result in the social dysfunction of Davis Inlet simply being moved to Natuashish. In part, that is a matter for the community itself, as many Innu recognize. The issue of whether the new community will be a "dry" community has been debated. And there is recognition among the leadership that relocation is not a panacea for the substantial social problems that the community faces. Equally, the consequences of relocation rest on the willingness of the Government to continue with the project, and not to relocate the Innu and conclude that the task is done.

Until very recently nothing was being done to prepare the Innu for the relocation.⁵⁶ The Mushuau Innu Relocation Committee had been taking community members to the site each year to familiarize them with the construction and with what the community would be like when it was finished. Individuals have been able to see where their houses were to be built or in some cases see their houses under construction. What must be addressed are the physical and social implications of moving to a new place; of living in new homes that have facilities that did not exist in Davis Inlet; and of moving from pedestrian, ATV and snowmobile transportation to a community with roads that can accommodate cars and trucks, and with distances that require motor vehicle transportation.

What is needed is a commitment to a planning process for the future of the Mushuau Innu after relocation. The Government needs to work with the Innu on this issue, instead of leaving the Innu with the strong impression that nothing is being done. At present, there is a widespread view among the Innu that the Government will show no interest in the Mushuau Innu after relocation.

This training should enable the Innu to adapt to their new location, and to function fully and independently in the new community.

D. The Relationship Between the Innu and the Government

The difference between the amount of contact between the Innu and the Government at the time of the 1993 Report and the amount of contact today is remarkable. Yet, notwithstanding this increased, continuing contact, the level of mistrust and the lack of communication between the Innu and the Government is high. On a range of issues Innu and government perceptions vary widely. The Innu feel that significant progress is being made on land claims, but federal officials consider a comprehensive land claims settlement to be a long way off. Federal officials consider that issues relating to education and health are being addressed. The Innu feel that particularly in the area of education, essentially nothing is being done. Federal officials insist that the Innu demonstrate their "capacity" to manage their own affairs by exhibiting facility in complex bureaucratic procedures that require expertise in government terminology, extensive written documentation, and participation in time-consuming, multi-level meetings. The Innu respond that "capacity development" of this sort is not the type of expertise that gets to the heart of the major social, health and spiritual problems that beset their communities, and that participating in these activities displaces time and energy sorely needed to address more fundamental matters.

The Innu claim that the Government brought self-government negotiations to an end because it claimed that it did not have the capacity to negotiate with the Innu on so many fronts. Some federal officials say that it was the Innu lack of capacity to negotiate that led to the termination of self-government negotiations. The Innu suspect that, after the relocation of the Mushuau Innu and completion of the side agreement on Voisey’s Bay, the Government will lose interest in the Innu. Federal officials claim that this is not so. Both sides claim that the real issues at stake are the health, education and well-being of the Innu communities, and particularly the future for Innu children. Each side, however, doubts that the other side is seriously interested in these issues.

In part, the differing perceptions of the Innu and the Government are fuelled by the starting assumptions of each side. Federal officials believe they are doing what the Innu have been asking be done. They are treating the Innu as other Indians in Canada by registering the Innu under the Indian Act. However, the Innu also want recognition of the fact that they have not been treated properly by the Government for the past 50 years. For them, whatever is done in the future has to be in light of, and cannot ignore, the past. Moreover, some federal officials tend to view who the Innu are and what they might be through an urban lens that seems disconnected from the reality of the coast of northern Labrador.

In the past few years, the Innu have seen a hardening of federal positions, resulting in the relationship becoming more adversarial. Federal officials see the period as one in which they have managed to inject some reality into the negotiations. But to the extent that negotiations between the Innu and the Government are adversarial, it is a relationship in which the cards are held by one side. Whether there are to be negotiations and whether the Innu are to be funded so they can negotiate are matters determined by the Government. It is a negotiation where one side has time, but the other side has everything else.

The lack of communication and mutual understanding has clearly had an impact on negotiations between the Innu and the Government. In fact, this level of mistrust raises serious questions about the prospects for a successful and timely conclusion of negotiations on self-government, land claims, and devolution of responsibility for education and health. The Innu and the Government both need to reflect seriously on how to remould their relationship in more positive directions.

For example, meetings routinely held in Ottawa and Montreal could instead be held in Goose Bay, Sheshatshiu, Davis Inlet or Natuashish in the future. This would both relieve Innu budgets and provide federal officials with a better sense of the reality of Innu lives.

In areas where miscommunication has become endemic, both sides might also consider the appointment of a mediator. Indeed, if no progress is made on self-government negotiations or on the devolution of education and health, the parties should appoint a mediator to deal with these issues.

At the same time, both sides also acknowledge that progress is being achieved, and of course such progress is critical. Notwithstanding the difficulties that face the communities, this is perhaps a time of unheralded opportunity. The relocation of the Mushuau Innu, the economic development currently occurring, the potential of projects such as Voisey’s Bay and the commitment of the current Innu leadership all provide an opportunity that must not be lost. It is incumbent on the Government not to let this opportunity pass, or to mire progress in another eight years of start-stop-start and change of direction. Implementation of the recommendations made in this report will ensure that progress is maintained.

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