Indigenous activists protest against Bill 97 in Quebec City

Quebec Minister of Natural Resources and Forests Maite Blanchette Vezina tables a legislation at the legislature in Quebec City, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Protesters led by the Front de Résistance Autochtone Populaire (FRAP) demonstrated against a proposed law on forestry in front of the National Assembly Saturday.

The organizers are demanding the complete withdrawal of the bill and are calling on the non-Indigenous population to join them.

The bill, introduced by Minister of Natural Resources and Forests Maïté Blanchette Vézina, has been strongly criticized by Indigenous communities and environmental groups, with the exception of those involved in the forestry industry.

Opponents of Bill 97 accuse the government of giving the forestry industry carte blanche to exploit the resource.

“This bill is unacceptable because it will destroy our territory like never before, and our territory is already being destroyed by the forestry industry. With Bill 97, it will only get worse,” said Xan Choquet, a Pekuakamiulnu activist and co-organiser of the demonstration, to The Canadian Press on the sidelines of the event.

“The population is angry, Indigenous peoples are increasingly mobilizing, but it also affects non-Indigenous people.”

Choquet said that “the overall anger will grow and we will fight against Bill 97 as long as it takes.”

Protesters said they want to raise awareness among non-Indigenous people, considering that the bill will also affect them.

“This is a fight that affects everyone and concerns everyone, because when we fight for the land, we fight for the future of everyone,” Choquet said.

“It’s not just Indigenous people who go into the woods. With this bill, it will be forbidden to go into certain areas of the woods, so it affects the entire population.”

Reacting to the demonstration, Vézina argued that Bill 97 “already offers major advances for First Nations.”

“We have already mentioned following the special consultations that we would take the summer to prepare amendments to improve the bill, particularly with regard to Indigenous communities,” the minister said in a text message sent to The Canadian Press. “Modernizing the forestry regime is essential to ensure the sustainability of the forestry industry throughout Quebec and to protect the communities that depend on it.”

She added that communities need the forestry industry to “regain its momentum so that it can tackle the many challenges it faces.”

Choquet argues that the amendments to the bill proposed by the minister will only be “cosmetic changes.”

“They will go directly (to consult) the band councils, even though they have no jurisdiction outside the community,” he explains.

During a visit to Longueuil in June for an announcement in the aerospace sector, Premier François Legault attempted to ease tensions. He made it clear that no major changes were planned yet and that these were merely “adjustments” for the time being.

Three similar protests have already taken place in Montreal to demand that the legislation be scrapped. Barricades have also been erected across the province by Indigenous activists.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French July 19, 2025.

Quentin Dufranne, The Canadian Press

— With files from Pierre Saint-Arnaud.