Innu treated 'like criminals' for hunting George River caribou, says grand chief

The head of theInnu Nationsaysthe provincial government has no scientific proof that hunting is responsible for thedecline of the George River caribou and to say otherwise is a "shameful exercise of blaming the Innu."

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In a release issued Monday, government said the herd count has declined by 37 per cent in just two years and, if thatrate continuesthe herd could be wiped out in less than five years.

"We have reached out to the province in the past to try to come up with a caribou management plan and that hasn't been acknowledged," Innu Nation Grand Chief Anastasia Qupee told CBC Radio's Labrador Morningon Wednesday.

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Environment and Climate Change Minister Perry Trimper said government isseeing some collared caribou being shot, andsome First Nationselders believe hunting can continue despite a provincialban.

Nunatsiavutendorses the province's2013 ban, while theInnuNation does not.

Qupee asserts thatthe Innuarevery cautious in theirapproach to the hunt, as they are "primary stakeholders" in the caribou. But she saidgovernment has taken an "us and them" approach that doesn't serve anyone.

You're being treated as a criminal [for] practicing your own culture.- AnastasiaQupee

"The hunters were selective about the sex and age of caribou we took, we used hunters that were skilled, and we made decisions based on our traditional knowledge of the herd and traditional knowledge from our elders," Qupeesaid.

She said other provincial governments work with First Nations when it comes to caribou recovery and sustainability.

"They collect information on the herds together there's a lot of public education and compliance to me, this what we've been looking for and we're still not there today."

'Just as concerned'

Qupeesaid there's an implication from government that indigenous peopleare to blame for declining caribou numbers, "and that's not right."

"That's the way that we've been treated in the past and it's really hard to move forward when you're being treated as a criminal [for] practicing your own culture."

In a statement released Tuesday, Qupee said barren-ground caribou herds are in decline across the North.

She said a similar decline lastoccurred in the 1950s, and that there are 60 to 80 year cycles in the caribou herd.But Trimpersaid there are factors today that make recovery much harder.

Qupee said the caribou plays a significant role in Innu heritage and language.

"We're just as concerned as the province and any other aboriginal groups about the caribou."

'Theutmost priority'

Darryl Shiwak, Nunatsiavut's minister of lands and natural resources, said it's extremely concerning but not surprisingto hear there are fewer than 9,000 animals left in the herd.

He said it's frustrating that some groups aren't honouring the hunting ban, as everyone in Labrador needs to work together to protect the herd.

But he believes enforcement is something for the provincial governmentto address.

"We've always believed in the need to take care of the George River caribou herd," said Shiwak.

"Ever since it's been in decline, it's the utmost priority that still hasn't changed."

Both the InnuNation and Nunatsiavut government will continue the conservation discussion at the Ungava Peninsula Caribou Aboriginal RoundTablemeetingnext week.