Plan du Nord finally released to the public

After years in the making and much talk from Premier Jean Charest and Natural Resources Minister Nathalie Normandeau, Quebec finally unveiled the long-awaited Plan du Nord, the province’s long-term plan for development in northern Quebec.

The Plan was presented to public in Lévis on May 9 and within hours garnered the support from many northern Aboriginal leaders, but harsh criticism from others.

While Grand Chief Coon Come told the Montreal Gazette that he was jubilant because the Crees have “gone from exclusion to inclusion” when it came to development deals on traditional territory, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador criticized the Plan. The reasoning was a lack of proper consultation with Innu groups.