FIRST NATIONS IN QUEBEC DELIVER POWERFUL MESSAGE IN TIMES SQUARE CALLING FOR RESPECT FOR THEIR RIGHTS
New York, April 22, 2025
A spectacular event took place in the heart of Manhattan when a message from the First Nations Mission to the UN was broadcast for 24 hours on one of the giant screens in Times Square, one of the most famous and bustling places in the world.
“Indigenous peoples’ rights: call for respect for the #UNDRIP in Quebec (Canada)”
This is what thousands of people will see repeated throughout the day, a direct and straightforward call to the governments of Quebec and Canada to respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
In parallel with their participation in the 24th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), members of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) delegation visited Times Square this morning to watch their message being displayed live.
“We wanted to raise awareness and highlight to the international community the need for Quebec to fully commit to implementing the UNDRIP, an essential step in respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples. We also wanted to highlight the inconsistency of federal implementation of the UNDRIP when a state such as Quebec is not making a concrete commitment to it, forcing our Nations to turn to the courts to enforce rights that should be undeniable,” said AFNQL Chief Francis Verreault-Paul at the unveiling.
The delegation claims to have taken this bold step to remind everyone that the rights recognized in the UNCRC must be effectively implemented, including in federated states such as Quebec.
About the AFNQL delegation
Under the coordination of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL), the delegation includes representatives from the communities of the Innu Nation (Ekuanitshit, Essipit, Mashteuiatsh, Matimekush-Lac John, Pakua Shipi, Pessamit, Nutashkuan, Unamen Shipu, and Uashat mak Mani-utenam), the Anishnabe First Nations of Lac-Simon and Kebaowek, and the Atikamekw First Nation of Wemotaci. The members of the delegation are:
- Francis Verreault-Paul
Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL)
- Raymond Bellefleur
Chief of Unamen Shipu
- Marcel Lalo
Chief of Pakua Shipi
- Réal Tettaut
Chief of Nutashkuan
- Mike Mckenzie
Chief of Uashat mak Mani-utenam
- Martin Dufour
Chief of Essipit
- Jean-Charles Piétacho
Chief of Ekuanitshit
- Suzanne Bacon-Charland
Deputy Chief of Pessamit
- Gilbert Dominique
Chief of Mashteuiatsh
- Réal Mckenzie
Chief of Matimekush-Lac John
- Lance Haymond
Chief of the Kebaowek First Nation
- Justin Roy
Councilor for the Kebaowek First Nation
- Lucien Wabanonik
Chief of the Anishnabe Nation of Lac-Simon
- Jon-Evan Quoquochi
Vice Chief of the Atikamekw First Nation of Wemotaci
- Miguel Coocoo Chachai
Advisor to the Atikamekw First Nation of Wemotaci
Photo of the deployment
Photo from left to right: Serge Ashini Goupil, Advisor, Innu Nation; Justin Roy, Advisor, Kebaowek First Nation; Jay-Mikko Niquay-Nequado, Youth Representative, Lac-Simon; Suzanne Bacon-Charland, Vice Chief, Pessamit; Lucien Wabanonik, Chief, Anishnabe Nation of Lac-Simon; Lance Haymond, Chief of the Kebaowek First Nation; Martin Dufour, Chief of Essipit; Marcel Lalo, Chief of Pakua Shipi; Jean-Claude Therrien-Pinette, Chief of Staff, Uashat mak Mani-utenam; Ghislain Picard, Spokesperson for the Innu Chiefs of the Nine Communities located in Nitassinan; Dany Pien, Councilor, Anishnabe Nation of Lac-Simon; Miguel Coocoo Chachai, Councilor of the Atikamekw First Nation of Wemotaci; Raymond Bellefleur, Chief of Unamen Shipu; Jon-Evan Quoquochi, Vice Chief of the Atikamekw First Nation of Wemotaci; Réal Tettaut, Chief of Nutashkuan; Mike Mckenzie, Chief of Uashat mak Maniutenam; Francis Verreault-Paul, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL).
For more information about the mission: www.apnql.com/onu-2025
Source: Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL)