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Innu victory The McKenzie family, an Innu clan from the Sept-Îles region, will have their day in court after all. Earlier this week, a Quebec Superior Court judge quashed attempts by the federal and provincial governments--and the McKenzie's own local band council--to have the family's court case dismissed. The McKenzies are seeking a permanent injunction against both governments for failing to stop mining development on their ancestral lands. In court, the band council argued that the McKenzies' suit would jeopardize its land-claim negotiations. Quebec, with the support of the federal government, argued that only band councils--not individuals or families--could sue to protect their rights. Judge Louis Tannenbaum ruled that a dismissal "would be a violation of constitutional rights and a denial of justice." Tannenbaum's ruling means that the MacKenzie family's case against the federal and provincial governments will be heard in court in the coming months.
The McKenzies' lawyer, James O'Reilly, said that the upcoming trial has the potential to be "a huge precedent-setting case" for unsettled aboriginal land claims in Quebec. Wayne Hiltz
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