It is from the land that the Native peoples of Canada draw their strength. If the people of Quebec claim a right to sovereignty, Inuit of Quebec argue their right of self-determination empowers them with the choice to remain part of Quebec, of Canada or to secede on their own. The James Bay Cree consider Hydro Quebec's "mad plans to engineer and dam the vast ecosystem" where they have lived for centuries an affront to their own right to control their land. The Labrador Innu are struggling with both the federal and provincial governments to protect their traditional hunting territories from threats imposed by military training flights and mineral exploration. All of these are challenges. As the Native peoples of Canada are meeting them, asserting their right to make choices for themselves, they stand steadfastly "on the land" from which flow their inherent rights to self-determination.
