“A river has the right to flow, to exist. To allow fish to survive. It has a right to be clean.” This is an excerpt from Gilbert Whiteduck’s speech at the Gatineau Riverfest in Wakefield, Quebec. Whiteduck, himself, has been a trailblazer for Indigenous social justice and environmental preservation. The Gatineau Riverfest serves as a means to connect local residents and visitors with nature, and to educate themselves on issues pertaining to the river and the Indigenous people’s territory. 

“I’ve spoken to people about the Gatineau river (and I said) what can we do together?” Whiteduck probes how people can make a difference in preserving the Gatineau river. “I’m a believer that when people gather together, the politicians have to follow.” Whiteduck elaborates on how the river could be recognized and protected: “What I am trying to advance is for the Gatineau river to have jurisdictional personhood...the goal is to try to have a ‘people movement’, to get the Gatineau River recognized”. Jurisdictional personhood is usually meant to protect large entities, and Whiteduck wants to have the river recognized for the sake of conservation. “...corporations have jurisdictional personhood, but we as human beings don’t follow the teachings of our ancestors. Who said nature has a voice, has a place; that it is a person that is living, and therefore we have this responsibility to be the voice.”

Land masses can be recognized as having personhood, as Whiteduck explains. “There’s only one river in Quebec that has that recognition (jurisdictional personhood); it’s called the ‘Magpie’”. Gilbert wishes to impart his teachings and experiences to the residents of Wakefield, and the surrounding areas of the Gatineau River. “All of you who live in this area, your roots are here, but our ancestral roots run very deep here.” Whiteduck hopes for the riverfest to serve as a moment of reconciliation, as well as a call to action. “Whenever the land and the river is hurt; we are hurt. Our spirit is hurt....Today is a day of celebration, but it’s also a time to (kind of in our minds) hug the river and say ‘I’m there for you’.”

Whiteduck’s experience in activism has given him clarity in how to approach these issues.“I know there is no quick solution.” Whiteduck speaks candidly about his experience and mission to protect the Gatineau river. The first step towards change is acknowledgement. “So I ask you (each one of you); create dialogue amongst you to talk about this, because if you and I can’t do it, who will?”