Wendake, June 12, 2026 –
The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) takes note of the end of proceedings surrounding Bill 1, the Constitutional Act, 2025 on Québec, championed by Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette. For the AFNQL, this outcome confirms the failure of a political process conducted without the attentiveness, rigour, or respect that any initiative touching on constitutional foundations and First Nations rights demands.
From the moment this initiative was tabled, the AFNQL firmly denounced a bill that was colonialist, centralizing, and fundamentally incompatible with the exercise of the pre-existing rights of First Nations. On February 5, Grand Chiefs and Chiefs of the AFNQL appeared before the Québec legislature and directly called on Minister Jolin-Barrette to withdraw what he himself had described as a “law of laws”—imposed without any genuine dialogue with the First Nations concerned.
Yet despite the gravity of the issues raised, the Minister devoted an average of just 30 seconds per First Nation during those exchanges. For the AFNQL, this speaks volumes about the lack of political will to engage in genuine good-faith negotiation—a basic requirement when a government purports to redefine the foundations of coexistence on shared and unceded territory. By refusing to hear the objections raised, by dismissing the principles of consent, mutual respect, and rights recognition, Simon Jolin-Barrette himself created the conditions for the current impasse.
“A true vision of coexistence must be built on debate, listening, recognition, and respect. In this matter, Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette bears full responsibility for the failure of his own initiative. He chose to turn a deaf ear to the concerns raised not only by First Nations, but also by many actors across Québec society. He also disregarded the Crown’s constitutional obligations and the principles of international law applicable to Indigenous peoples,” declared AFNQL Chief Francis Verreault-Paul.