Aboriginal affairs minister carries double workload

ODILE NELSON

Quebec’s new minister of intergovernmental and aboriginal affairs says the region’s self-government bid will not take a back seat to his government’s desire to renegotiate relations with Ottawa, despite his dual responsibilities.

In an interview with Nunatsiaq News last week, Benoît Pelletier admitted his two portfolios have traditionally been time-consuming. But Pelletier insisted that though Premier Jean Charest wants to recreate the province’s fiscal relationship with Ottawa, he will remain equally dedicated to the aboriginal affairs file.

“It is not in my intention nor in Mr. Charest’s intention to neglect one portfolio in favour of the other,” Pelletier said. “We want to make sure that these two fundamental portfolios are treated equally, are well-treated and we want results.”

One of the Liberal Party’s central campaign promises was to cut the fat of Quebec’s bureaucracy. When Charest named his cabinet in April, he slashed the number of cabinet positions from 31, under the PQ government, to 24.

In the process, he made Pelletier responsible for both intergovernmental affairs and aboriginal affairs and eliminated the title of “northern development.” Pierre Corbeil, MNA for Abitibi-East, will now serve as the political minister for the northern Quebec region.

Pelletier said the change makes practical sense.

“I’m actually surprised it’s the first time in Quebec’s history that those two files are linked together,” he said. “These two files deal with the relationship that Quebec would like to have with the other provinces and the federal government and, on the other side, with the aboriginal people themselves, so its explainable.”

Pelletier’s appointment as minister of aboriginal affairs came as a surprise to some. Many pundits predicted Charest would appoint Geoff Kelley, who was critic for the portfolio while the Liberal Party was in opposition.

Kelley served intermittently as opposition critic for aboriginal affairs from March 1997 until the March 2003 election call.

Kelley admitted he was somewhat disappointed that he would not get a chance to serve as cabinet minister. But he stressed Nunavimmiut should not mistake the new Liberal government’s cabinet downsizing as a lack of commitment to framework negotiations.

“You have a premier who has already expressed a personal interest in these files and Mr. Pelletier is a very able person who wrote a report on intergovernmental affairs that contained a whole chapter and action plan on aboriginal questions, so I think he’ll be able to meet the demands,” Kelley said.

Pelletier, who was elected to the national assembly in 1998 and has been a lawyer for more than 20 years, is an expert in constitutional law.

He said his legal expertise should serve him well in negotiations with the province’s aboriginal people. But he has not yet visited Nunavik and his direct experience with aboriginal affairs has been limited.

He was aware Nunavik, the federal government and the former PQ government had worked out a framework agreement and that the election call had left it unsigned. However, he would not commit to the agreement.

“We are determined to make sure that we evolve toward the process of self-government in Nunavik. The goal is there but would the agreement be satisfactory in our eyes? This is something I will still have to study,” he said.

Pelletier said he would be able to speak to the question after reviewing Nunavik’s file over the next two weeks.

He also assured Nunavimmiut that the Liberal campaign promises of cutting costs and prioritizing the province’s education and health care would not hurt Nunavik’s infrastructure projects.

“Of course there will be reductions as for the expenses of the government in order to finance health, education and to get some tax-cutting priorities,” he said, “but as far as the aboriginal affairs is concerned I may say that Quebec-funded infrastructure projects will not be affected by the cuts.”