The Innu First Nations Uashat mak Mani-utenam and Matimekush-Lac John celebrated the Supreme Court of

The Innu First Nations Uashat mak Mani-utenam and Matimekush-Lac John celebrated the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision Oct. 15 to refuse to hear an appeal by Rio Tinto (IOC) in a $900 million lawsuit against the company. Rio Tinto (IOC) attempted to have the case dismissed before trial. “Rio Tinto and its subsidiary IOC have been seeking to delay the judicial process in the hopes that they would exhaust us and that we would back down,” reads a press release from the Innu nations. “We are all familiar with this strategy by large, wealthy corporations. But this decision by the Supreme Court of Canada means that Rio Tinto (IOC) will no longer be able to evade our lawsuit. We are more determined than ever to see it through to the end, and, sooner or later, the company will have to answer for what it has done, including its systematic violation of our rights since the 1950s,” said Mike McKenzie, chief of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam.

The conflict is outlined on the website “It’s Time to Pay the Rent” at http://www.paytherent.info which contends that the “Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) has been illegally operating a mining megaproject in our traditional territory (Nitassinan) for decades, in blatant violation of our rights, without our consent, and without having paid a single penny of compensation to us, the true owners of the land. IOC’s megaproject has devastated parts of our land and continues to do so today, all the while preventing us from practising our unique way of life and traditional activities in these areas.”

The legal proceedings against Rio Tinto (IOC) will move forward and the Innu have declared the decision by the Supreme Court “a great victory for all First Nations in Canada that are seeking to force companies to respect their rights.”