Indigenous leaders skeptical of museum project

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Representatives of Indigenous communities across the province have added their voices to the chorus of skepticism surrounding the proposed Musée national de l’histoire du Québec.

On April 25, Premier François Legault and Culture and Communications Minister Mathieu Lacombe announced that a new museum of Quebec history would open in 2026 in the Camille-Roy Pavilion of the Séminaire du Québec, not far from the Basilica-Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-Québec. At the time, Legault said the museum would trace the story of the Quebec nation “from the First Nations, who were here before us and who helped us” to the present day. However, no Indigenous leaders were present at the announcement, and nearly three weeks later, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) and other prominent Indigenous organizations say they have not been consulted and they have serious concerns about how the museum will incorporate Indigenous perspectives.

“The history of the Quebec nation is inseparable from the history of the Indigenous nations – if the First Nations weren’t there, maybe there wouldn’t be a Quebec nation,” said AFNQL Chief Ghislain Picard. “If we are sticking with the original plan for the museum, we’re on the wrong track.”

Picard said he had the impression First Nations were seen as an “afterthought” in the proposed museum. “We have put a lot of effort into rapprochement and reconciliation over the past few years, and this is not something that inspires trust,” he said.

Denis Gros-Louis, director general of the First Nations Education Council (FNEC), echoed Picard’s sentiments. “One side of the story is not enough,” he said. He pointed out that the museum would be in the same facility where Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system during his 2022 visit. “It’s very awkward to say, in that location, that Quebec began in 1608 … the role of the museum is to make sure that people who go there are coming out with a better appreciation of what the society is about.” He said the FNEC was “looking forward” to working with the province to include Indigenous perspectives.

Marjolaine Tshernish is di- rector general of the Institut Tshakapesh, a long-established cultural organization based in Uashat, near Sept-Iles, aimed at promoting the language and culture of North Shore Innu communities. “As Innu people and as a research institution, we have the same concerns [as the AFNQL],” she said.

Despite the greater visibility given to Indigenous stories in the past several years since Truth and Reconciliation Day (Sept. 30) became a holiday, Tshernish said many people still don’t realize there are 11 First Nations in Quebec, know the difference between the Innu (native to the North Shore and parts of Labrador) and the Inuit (native to the Arctic) or understand the impact of residential schools. She said a museum would be a prime opportunity to showcase Indigenous cultural knowledge and the efforts made by First Nations to reclaim their languages and cultures and repatriate artifacts in recent years.

Picard said neither he, nor the APNQL, nor Huron-Wendat Grand Chief Rémy Vincent, “nor any chief as far as we know” has been consulted in connection with the project. Tshernish and Gros-Louis also said their organizations had not been consulted by the scientific committee leading the museum project, but they hoped that would change and were open to dialogue.

At the April 25 announcement, Legault listed a number of historical figures he hoped would be honoured in the museum, none of whom were Indigenous. When asked about Indigenous people who made their mark on Quebec, Picard mentioned the Cree chief and land claims negotiator Billy Diamond, who fought for compensation for Cree and Inuit communities whose land stood to be flooded by the massive James Bay hydroelectric project.

“I would have to consult the communities [before naming names], but there are a lot of Innus who have made their mark on history,” Tshernish added.