Inquiry Panelists and Report Authors:

Executive Summary

Hydroelectric development has sidelined Aboriginal peoples from the sustenance and beauty of the lands and waters given to them by the Creator. It is now time they re-assume their rightful place in caring for and restoring their homeland. Perhaps then, those lands and waters will bring much-needed healing to the people.

Hydroelectric development on northern Manitoba rivers in the past three decades has re-engineered watersheds that were entrusted to Aboriginal peoples by the Creator. Such development, which generates 75% of the electricity produced in Manitoba, has impacted those Aboriginal peoples in ways that cut to the very heart of their existence.[1]

It is a tragic irony that the same region that supplies Manitoba with billions of dollars in hydroelectric wealth is also home to Aboriginal peoples caught in a quagmire of poverty and social despair. The Churchill-Nelson Hydroelectric Project (the "Project") has brought opportunity and prosperity to society at large, while bringing considerable environmental and cultural disruption to those living at its heart. The panel of inquiry commissioners sees an urgent need to move from a situation in which the Project is the source of problems for Aboriginal peoples to a situation in which it is the source of solutions. The wrongs of the past must be addressed with generosity and unwavering justice if an ever-deepening northern crisis is to be averted.

The ongoing suffering of Cree and Métis peoples as a result of hydroelectric dams is both unnecessary and avoidable. The future can, and must, look different and it is up to the governments of Manitoba and Canada, Manitoba Hydro (the "Crown parties"), and the customers of Manitoba Hydro to ensure that the opportunity for a much better future is not missed.

Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts

Numerous presenters spoke about the environmental harm and social trauma attributable to the dams. Watersheds that were once safe, beautiful, and intimately known gifts from the Creator are now dangerous and despoiled. This damage-outlined in Part II of the report-has undermined traditional economies, cultural vitality, and spiritual wholeness. A sense of exclusion, betrayal, and delayed justice compounds the human suffering.

This report outlines efforts undertaken by the Crown parties to address adverse impacts, but recommends that immediate and concerted efforts are needed on their part to address the ongoing crisis. The report's intent is to apply the lessons of history in order to offer constructive, forward-looking suggestions. (See Appendix 1 for a summary of recommendations.)

Currently, the environmental and social costs of hydro production are being off-loaded on the peoples of the north, while the balance of benefits accrue to society at large. This accumulating socio-ecological deficit, like any deficit, will haunt the province if not rectified.

Different Views, Clear Responsibilities

The Northern Flood Agreement

Part III of the report is devoted to the 1977 Northern Flood Agreement (NFA). With the signing of the NFA, the Crown parties obtained an after-the-fact right to use the lands of the five First Nations which signed the agreement. In exchange, the First Nations were granted entitlements to a range of provisions designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment.

With emphasis on Pimicikamak Cree Nation (PCN)-one of the NFA signatories-this report details the provisions of the NFA, what the Crown parties have done to implement them, where they have failed, and the benefits that true implementation would bring.

Though in the case of PCN the NFA is largely unfulfilled, it remains a source of hope that the Project can still contribute to the recovery of the land and people of PCN. The panel shares the view that NFA implementation could, and should, put Aboriginal peoples on "a course of increasing social and economic independence," and contribute to healing and reconciliation.[2]

This report regards the NFA as a treaty and interprets it as a covenant among peoples. The conditions experienced by PCN demonstrate that the NFA's promised fairness and equity still lie only in the future. With sufficient political will, creativity, and public support, fulfillment of the NFA can restore a treaty relationship that has been broken for much too long.

Four other First Nations which signed the NFA have subsequently entered into Master Implementation Agreements with the Crown parties. Part IV of this report acknowledges the resources and hopes invested in these agreements by all parties while also reflecting concerns raised about them. The expressed hope is that these agreements may dramatically improve conditions in those communities. The report also affirms PCN's decision to rely on the original NFA.

South Indian Lake and Fox Lake First Nation

Two of the most severely affected communities-South Indian Lake and Fox Lake First Nation-were not included in the NFA. Part V addresses the situation of those communities, as well as the affected Métis, non-treaty and off-reserve status people who were likewise excluded from the NFA.

The Fox Lake Cree, who live in the shadow of Manitoba's three largest dams, spoke of the invasion of their homeland which was undertaken with almost complete disregard for their most basic rights. Their story is an unimaginable tragedy that could have been prevented. The people of South Indian Lake were similarly helpless to prevent the flooding and dislocation that profoundly altered their lives. Self-reliance was replaced by dependency; dignity by hopelessness. Their situation is also largely unresolved.

This report recommends that the rights and benefits comparable to those in the NFA be granted to South Indian Lake, Fox Lake First Nation and other Métis, non-treaty and off-reserve status people. Crown parties have little right to boast of their efforts to address adverse impacts until fairness and equity have been achieved by all impacted peoples.

This report places primary responsibility at the feet of the Canadian federal government. The conditions experienced by the Aboriginal presenters have failed to trigger effective government actions to end the tragedy.

Conclusion: Shared Success

The untallied cost of electricity production in northern Manitoba has been two decades of extensive environmental destruction, violation of human rights, and even the loss of life. For Manitoba Hydro, the governments, and consumers the Project is a success, but in northern Manitoba it constitutes an ongoing ecological, social, and moral catastrophe. These imbalances must be redressed.

Opportunities to extend the success of the hydroelectric project to all include the restoration of damaged ecosystems and the socio-economic recovery of affected communities. This report asserts that self-sufficiency is attainable. Viability depends upon ensuring that Aboriginal peoples have access to the abundant resources-in both traditional and modern forms-that surround them.

Finally, this report invites citizens, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and religious institutions to consider whether their use of electricity produced under the present conditions in northern Manitoba is fair. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring fairness lies with all of us. This is a sacred responsibility given us by the One who created the lands and waters.

-Winnipeg, Manitoba 2001

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Let there at long last be equity, justice, fairness, generosity, real sharing, and honour in the Crown's dealings with Aboriginal peoples. Let present generations of Aboriginal peoples begin to hope that there will be a future for those that follow, a future of political, economic, social, and environmental justice.

Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come, Grand Council of the Crees (of Quebec).[3]