Opening evening
Tuesday September 12th 2017
5:15 to 8 pm Palais des congrès de Montréal, Rooms 720-725
Free, registration required
5:45 - 6:20 pm
Opening
Opening prayer and remarks. Drums will be interspersed with official speeches.
• Song from Elder Kevin Deer and Drummers Buffalo Hat Singers
• Mr. Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montreal
• Mr. Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL)
• Mr. Sébastien Goupil, Secretary General, Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO)
• Ms. France Chrétien-Desmarais, President, Society for the Celebrations of Montreal’s 375th Aniversary
• Mr. Geoffrey Kelley, Minister responsible for Native Affairs, Government of Québec
6:20 - 6:45 pm
Speakers
With the participation of:
• Mr. Phoolman Chaudhary (Nepal), Vice-President of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• Ms. Viviane Michel, President, Quebec Native Women
6:45 - 8 pm
Cocktail
Cocktail and exchanges between participants. The event will gather several experts on Indigenous issues (art, culture, education, youth, government, justice...).
“States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples (...) prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other ressources.”
Article 32 - UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples