A spokesman for the Cree people is describing the Quebec government appointment of Lucien Bouchard as “a hasty decision,” in the ongoing attempt to resolve a conflict with Resolute Forest Products over logging rights in forests on Cree territory.
Abel Bosum, Negotiator and Spokesman for the Grand Council of the Crees, suggested that the government is seeking to help the forest company and is not really interested in the fate of the forests that sit on Cree territory.
The conflict has cost Resolute its Forest Stewardess Council certification and a lucrative contract with Best Buy, which accounts for about one third of the annual production at the Resolute mill in Kenogami.
The dispute between Resolute and the Cree started in 2009 and centres around how best to harvest forests.
The Grand Council of Crees believes that Quebec and the Resolute company have “intentionally and unilaterally “ endorsed a cutting program that violates a 2002 agreement and fails to respect nature and the Crees.
