Cree Ambassador Ted Moses told a UN forum in Geneva recently that the Crees will not accept being forced to remain in an independent Quebec.
Moses went on to accuse the international community of harboring a double standard on the right of self-determination when speaking to the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples.
He said it is unacceptable that Quebec be allowed to secede from Canada while the Cree are refused similar rights of self-determination.
Moses said it would be paramount to the forcible removal of the Crees from Canada and would deny Cree constitutional, citizenship and treaty rights.
Moses clarified that he was not promoting Cree secession from Quebec or encouraging any violent acts. The choice of whether to stay in Canada or go with Quebec is a Cree right, said Moses.
The Working Group at the forum had looked for a Native seal of approval on a draft on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Native participants had other ideas and staged a massive walkout. They were protesting that some countries are insisting on having a free hand in making changes to the document.
Moses said that the walkout happened because Crees and other Native peoples feel they are being left out of the process.
The governments and Natives are back at the table and discussions have resumed.
