Quebec parties face scrutiny over silence on Indigenous election priorities

First Nations chiefs call on parties to make 'concrete commitments' to improve access to public services

Two weeks into the Quebec election period, most of the five major parties have yet to make any clear commitments to address the priorities of First Nations and Inuit in the province.

The 2026 Quebec election campaign started on Aug. 27. Voters head to the polls on Oct. 5.

The silence prompted the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) to publish a statement on Wednesday, urging parties to make "concrete commitments" to work with First Nations on education, culture and public safety while ensuring equitable access to public services.

Kebaowek First Nation Chief Lance Haymond told CBC News it has been "disappointing" that leaders of major parties have passed through the Témiscamingue region without discussing plans to improve the lives of his constituents.

"These are our territories that federal and provincial governments are talking about, you know, accelerating development on and yet, you know, we're not even being mentioned."

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Haymond also pushed back against the misconception that all members of First Nations are "anti-development."

"We want to have opportunities to enrich our people and have good jobs like non-Indigenous Canadians," but "not at all costs," he said.

On Monday, Guillaume David, a spokesperson for Québec Solidaire (QS), told CBC News in an email that if QS were to form government, the party would adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and create the constituent assembly process with First Nations and Inuit so they can "participate as they see fit in Quebec’s independence process."

A QS government would also co-draft bills with Indigenous people, David said, noting that the party had tabled a similar bill in May, during the last parliamentary session.

"We want to establish new partnerships with First Nations for all future renewable development on their territories," David wrote.

Louis-Charles Baril, a spokesperson for Quebec Liberal Party Leader Charles Milliard, said in an email that the party would bring a "much-needed change in tone" to the provincial government's relationship with Indigenous communities.

"Communities deserve to be considered, consulted and stakeholders in decision-making and in projects that impact their reality," Baril wrote.

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He added that the provincial government's relationship with First Nations and Inuit deteriorated over the last eight years, contributing to the stagnation of forestry management reform.

While the Conservative Party of Quebec and Coalition Avenir Québec said they would make announcements concerning Indigenous people later in the campaign, the Parti Québécois did not provide comment before publication.

Written by Holly Cabrera, with files from CBC's Rowan Kennedy