On May 20, 2025, two Indigenous organizations launched a ground-breaking lawsuit against Quebec’s forest companies. They filed eviction notices, claiming their premises and demanding movement. The Mamo alliance and the Association des Gardiens du territoire Nehirowisiw Aski served shots across the bow to eleven companies. These companies’ activities support regional development in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Mauricie and Côte-Nord, among others. The Quebec government’s latest attempt at forestry reform came in the form of Bill 97. This ambitious initiative has been met with fierce resistance by environmentalists and First Nations groups.
The eviction notices were prompted by concerns that Bill 97 threatens ancestral rights, according to statements from the two Indigenous organizations. And they argue that the reform was tabled without proper consent from Indigenous communities. Worse, they say, this action violates their sovereignty over unceded homelands.
The notices demand that the forestry companies immediately remove all workers and equipment from the areas identified as unceded Indigenous territory. This kind of bold move indicates just how frustrated Indigenous groups are becoming. They are calling for stronger protection of their rights and natural resources within their territories.
Late last month, environmentalists began a concerted push to kill Bill 97. They caution that it will devastate ecosystems and endanger biodiversity in the impacted areas. The controversy of the bill serves to highlight a continuing trend of Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship in Quebec.
He drew the audience’s attention to the increasing tensions among the government, Indigenous peoples, and the forestry sector. The eviction notices were officially posted at 5:23 PM on May 20, 2025, and the story was last updated later that evening at 7:26 PM.
