Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Economic development conference Expo Labrador was cancelled on Tuesday after a protest in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
“We are disappointed the [provincial] government did not address the outstanding concerns of the Labrador Innu this week and we will be cancelling the remainder of the conference,” reads a statement issued by the organizers of Expo Labrador, the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce, on Tuesday afternoon.
More than 120 people gathered outside the E.J. Broomfield Memorial Arena — a main venue for the conference — calling on the provincial government to change its stance amid a dispute over Innu history in Labrador.
WATCH | People gathered at two Expo Labrador venues:
Innu not satisfied with response from N.L. premier
Innu leaders and community members are standing by a call for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to publicly acknowledge Innu rights and history as presented by Innu people. As the CBC’s Regan Burden reports, a related protest shut down Expo Labrador on Tuesday.
Innu leaders have said the provincial government is trying to limit the official timeline for the Innu in Labrador to 300 years.
“They can’t even write that down in a letter,” said Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Chief Eugene Hart on Tuesday, referencing a letter from Premier Tony Wakeham to Innu Grand Chief Simon Pokue and other leaders, dated June 23.
The letter followed a three-hour meeting the Monday night involving Innu leadership, including Hart, with representatives from the provincial government in Wakeham, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Lela Evans and Lake Melville MHA Keith Russell, in his role as parliamentary secretary for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.
Gathering first began at premier’s event
A group of at least 40 people gathered earlier in the day Tuesday at the Royal Canadian Legion in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, wanting to see Wakeham in person and know their message was being heard. They left there disappointed.
Wakeham had arrived at the Legion on Hamilton River Road for a keynote address as part of the Expo Labrador event.
Outside, people gathered mainly after he had entered the building. They were denied entry by security staff, but continued to press for the premier and province to publicly address the issue of Innu history.
“I think the government do not even recognize us. Don’t know us, don’t know the history,” said Francesca Snow, an elder from the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation who was among the crowd and spoke to the CBC.
“What I’m thinking now: we might as well leave Canada and be our own Nitassinan,” she said.
Innu elder Francesca Snow speaks with the CBC’s Regan Burden in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. (Regan Burden/CBC)
It’s unclear how Wakeham exited the venue following his speech, but he was not seen leaving through the main entrance, where he would have been seen by the people gathered there.
The issue arose after a decision last week by Innu Nation leadership not to proceed with an Innu cultural and historical exhibit, Innu Pakassiun, at the Labrador Interpretation Centre. That decision was made after a dispute over the timeline of Innu history that was planned to be presented in the exhibit.
The Labrador Interpretation Centre is a cultural venue under the auspices of The Rooms, a provincial Crown corporation. The Rooms has so far directed questions to the provincial government.
The letter from the premier states that it would be prudent for consultations with other Indigenous groups “to avoid public disputes over the exhibits.”
At the same time, it goes on to offer to expedite Innu land claim negotiations.
“Once the Treaty is finalized there will be no doubt as to the rights of the Innu as represented by the Innu Nation,” it states.
Security staff deny entry to individuals gathered at a conference venue in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador, trying to convey a message about Innu history to Premier Tony Wakeham and members of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. (Regan Burden/CBC)
Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Evans issued a statement late last week expressing regret for the distress the dispute over the exhibit has caused. The statement did not directly address the issue.
The Innu Development Limited Partnership (IDLP) — owned and operated on behalf of the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation and Mushuau Innu First Nation — announced on Saturday that it was withdrawing from the Expo Labrador event because of the dispute.
Expo Labrador is an annual conference and exhibition event hosted by the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce. It typically features the latest opportunities in the region, from mining to main street development, with high-profile speakers including business leaders and governments.
In a statement Tuesday evening, Innu Nation leadership said there is no issue with the expo, or with any staff working on the event, or with the business community. However, per the statement, the current back-and-forth with the province, “creates uncertainty for everyone involve in Labrador’s economy.”
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.