The Uashaunnuat oppose Hydro Québec's $8-billion, 1,550-megawatt hydro project on the Romaine River. The conflict reflects many lost opportunities across Canada as governments continue to impose their way of resource development on local native communities.

"Hydro-Québec does not respect the ancestral rights and titles of the Innu," said Uashaunnuat principal adviser Rosario Pinette. "We are opposed to the Romaine project without our consent. The government has said it does not need our consent but that it will consult with us. That's not enough."

Hydro Québec was granted conditional approval from a joint federal-provincial environmental panel and has reached agreements with four other Innu communities, including a $43 million dollar deal over 60 years with the Nutashkuan Nation.