ID: 52
Presenting Author: Michele Leduc-Lapierre
Status: pending
Section 22 of the JBNQA was the first impact assessment procedure in Canada to recognize Indigenous participation, protection of Cree rights and integration of Cree perspectives in impact assessments.
Signed in 1975, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) was the first modern treaty in Canada. Among its many provisions, Section 22 established the environmental and social protection regime for the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Territory. This regime introduced the first environmental assessment procedure in North America to formally recognize and ensure the participation of Indigenous Peoples. Section 22 is specifically designed to protect Cree hunting, fishing, and trapping rights that are intrinsically tied to the protection of the land, the water and the ecosystems where these activities occur. As early as 1975, the JBNQA acknowledged that protecting Cree culture required integrating social considerations into environmental protection.
With this poster, the James Bay Advisory Committee on the Environment (JBACE) will illustrate how Cree values, rights, concerns and knowledge are integrated in the Section 22 impact assessment procedure. Drawing from JBACE’s 2019 best practice guide on public participation and engagement, the poster will also offer recommendations for project proponents on how to engage effectively with communities to ensure that their voices are heard, their concerns are addressed, and their perspectives are meaningfully integrated in the project impact assessment procedure.
Michèle Leduc-Lapierre has been the Executive Director of the James Bay Advisory Committee on the Environment since 2018. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, a Master’s degree in Habitat and Wil