Post-War Issues and Events- Assignment- Task 2: Thematic Timelines: "James Bay Agreement" - Kirsten Boettger, "1969 White Paper"- Taylor Markwick, "The 60s Scoop"- Tristan Surajpaul, "Oka Crisis"-Brianne Allen, (December 19th, 2017)
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In 1700 a fair amount of Mohawk came into Canada, they moved into the territories that were controlled by Great Britain who were their allies at the time. (Tabitha Marshall)
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The town of Oka told the Mohawk people who had claimed and built their lives in the land that they had occupied that they were going to build on the land and that they had to give it up. The mayor of Oka Pascal Quevillon told them that they were going to build a 9 hole golf course on the land. This was the start of the major protests known as the Oka Crisis. (Felicia Parrillo)
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The 9 hole course was made on the land that the Mohawk had reserved as their living commons. Even after all the protesting that the Mohawk's did they still lost a lot of the land to the golf course. (Tabitha Marshall)
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In 1971, the James Bay Project was proposed as the "project of the century" by the Quebec government. (JBNQA, Makivik Corporation). It had plans to have hydroelectric dams go through the east coast of James Bay and Northern Quebec.This went through Cree and Inuit territories.(Craik,Brian,John A Price, The Canadian Encyclopedia) In 1971, the project started with no discussion with the Cree. Cree and Inuit rights were ignored. (The James Bay Project, Waskaganish)
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In 1972, Charlie Watt created the Northern Quebec Inuit Assocation and partnered with the Quebec Association of Indians and applied to the Quebec Superior Court to get an injuction to stop the James Bay Project. (JBNQA, Makivik Corporation).
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After the Northern Quebec Inuit Association and the Quebec Association of Indians applied to get an injunction to stop the project, in 1973 the project got temporarily stopped by the court. (James Bay Project: Cree Surrender Land in Historic Agreement,CBC) .It would be stopped until an agreement could be made between the government and the Crees and Inuits.(The James Bay Project, Waskaganish).
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The injuction that stopped the James Bay project temporarily was overturned and construction began soon again. The court deemed that the public interest to keep the project going, was more important than the Inuit and Crees interests. (The James Bay Project, Waskaganish). However, the government and the Aboriginals began making out of court agreements. (JBNQA, Makivik Corporation).
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This agreement said that the Inuit and Cree would give up some of their land for the James Bay project to continue. (In exchange they would receive more rights,and compensations. Right such as, dividing Northern Quebec into three sections for different purposes and to be used by Inuit and Cree people. Creation of school and health boards and $225 million are other examples of rights that were given. (Craik,Brian. John A. Price, The Canadian Encyclopedia)
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The government of Oka decided that they were going to expand the golf course to a 18 hole course instead of 9 holes. The mayor had also approves 60 luxury condominiums on the land that the Mohawk occupied. (Tabitha Marshall)
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After the Mohawk heard about the new construction plans they decided to put up a barricades to block the Mercier Bridge and highways that lead to the area in hopes to stop the construction from happening. They protested against the police forces getting into physical and verbal fights over the issue of their right to the land. (Tabitha Marshall)
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On August 20th about 800 Royal 22 Regiment offices took over the SQ's position in front of the Mohawk barricades, they were only a short distance away from the Mohawk warriors. The Royal 22 Regiment tried to maintain peace and stop the vicious protesting. (Tabitha Marshall)
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On August 29th the mayor of Oka and the Mohawk warriors came to a negotiation that ended in the Mercier Bridge becoming unblocked so that people living in Montreal could still use the major transport system.
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On September 26th the Mohawk warriors put away the guns and surrendered their army, although many were charged, 5 were convicted for assault and theft and 1 was sent to jail, the Mohawk warrior still had good come out of this. Canadians became more aware of land claims and Aboriginal right, the federal government bought to the pines to stop the construction plans, the federal government also bought more land for them and it helped to establish Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
