The foremost mandate of the Chantier de l’économie sociale is to bring stakeholders together to promote and develop the social economy in Quebec, a place that has been inhabited for millennia by 11 indigenous nations. The majority of the territories inhabited by these nations – which have long served as a place of gathering and exchange between nations — have never been ceded by treaty.
The contribution of indigenous communities, through their expertise, knowledge, and cultural background, is fundamental and beneficial to Quebec society. Le Chantier wishes to highlight the important and essential contribution of indigenous communities to the social economy. Basing economic and social development on principles of collective empowerment, on values of solidarity, sharing, autonomy and on the respect for ecosystems and the territory is a vision that we share. It inspires us daily to bring about a change in our economic system.
Beyond recognizing the ancestral presence of Indigenous people, the Chantier respects and affirms the fundamental and treaty rights of all Indigenous peoples throughout the territory of Quebec. It subscribes and will continue to subscribe to the commitments made to indigenous nations and peoples. More particularly, it calls for the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, particularly regarding the recognition of these nations, their right to self-determination and sovereignty, and their participation in economic development.
This recognition was written in collaboration with the Economic Development Commission of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, a representative of which sits on the board of directors of the Chantier alongside, among others, representatives of the social economy Pôles, including three indigenous Pôles. This is one illustration among others of the contribution of indigenous people to the understanding and actions of the social economy movement in Quebec.
