Québec, February 28, 2003 – Mr. André Boisclair, Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Greater Montréal, the Environment and Water, today releases a draft administrative agreement with the Québec Crees and the Federal Government concerning co-ordination of the environmental assessments required for the Eastmain 1-A Power Station Construction Project and Rupert Diversion. The Government has authorized the signature of the agreement through an Order in Council, on February 26, 2003. Within the framework of this agreement, the Québec Government has ensured recognition of its jurisdiction over the territory governed by the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement.

According to the " Agreement on Environmental Assessments of the Eastmain 1-A/Rupert Project " (French, PDF file), the parties agree to implement all possible means of promoting co-operation between the authorities responsible for the environmental assessments linked to the project as well as the means to avoid procedural overlapping. Within the framework of these measures, the parties will elaborate guidelines for a single impact study in order to meet the requirements related to the assessment processes. They will also co-ordinate public hearings and consultations and be bound to the same schedule to carry out the steps related to their respective procedures. Moreover, Québec has decided to implement a support program allowing the population to take part in the public consultations.

On February 7, 2002, the Prime Minister of Québec, Mr. Bernard Landry, and the Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees, Mr. Ted Moses, signed an agreement baptized La paix des braves (Peace of the Braves), giving Cree consent to the Eastmain hydroelectric project and the diversion of the Rupert River, among others. Furthermore, the Peace of the Braves provides that the project would be subject to the applicable environmental legislation and to the environmental and social protection regime stipulated in the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement.

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