At Square Cabot, in the city center of Montreal, Nakuset observes the technicians who finish the installation of the scene. Director of the Aboriginal Women’s Foyer, she oversees the concert organized with Pop Montreal and Resilience Montreal, a festive moment, but responsible for meaning in a place marked by Aboriginal roaming.
On this national day of indigenous peoples, Nakuset hopes that people in homelessness – too often invisible – will also have a place in the festivities.
Yes, the celebrations of June 21 are essential. But they should go far beyond events. That day is joy. And joy, for those who live in the street, is rare. It is for them that we do that
she says in an interview.
For Nakuset, this day which corresponds to the summer solstice reveals a painful paradox: celebrating culture while Aboriginal people sleep in the street, criminalized for their poverty. Around the country, we fear legislative setbacks which would further weaken our already precarious rights
she warned.
In recent years, she is also witnessing the often brutal transformation of the Cabot square. But according to her, the situation has never been so critical. It’s worse than everything I saw in 20 years of work here
slice the director.
From the pandemic, everything has collapsed. There are not enough services, people are out.
In an attempt to recreate some links, Nakuset and his team recently set up animation workshops every Friday, in collaboration with the City of Montreal. And a new project is under construction.
We asked for funding over three years to maintain our mediators on site, and hire a youth speaker. Because many young people from the DPJ meet here, and some quickly fall into sexual exploitation. You need someone to hang them, guide them, before it is too late.
Almost 30 years after its official establishment in Canada, the National Day of Aboriginal peoples is an opportunity to recognize and pay tribute to history, cultural diversity and First Nations, Inuit and Métis contributions to Canadian society.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Ismaël Houdassine
Nakuset recognizes it bluntly, the time is for the next generation. It notes the importance of training the next generation in social issues. I get older. Look today, I can’t even go on stage because of my knees, so the technicians have dropped the scene microphones for me
she says, laughing. But more seriously, others have to take over.
Because it is not just a question of age, she insists, but of collective responsibility. Many believe that reconciliation, it is Aboriginal one to wear it. But no, it’s supposed to be a shared effort. Each institution must do its part.
And the facts, she said, speak for themselves.
The very first recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission focused on the child protection system. It has still not been applied. Same thing with the commission come to Quebec,
she says bitter.
A court and ambitious projects
Faced with the inaction that she judges intolerable
Nakuset and his allies turn to international justice. In May 2026, a citizen court – the permanent tribunal of peoples (TPP) – will be held in Montreal, in the premises of an Aboriginal art studio.
The idea is to present our evidence to judges from Europe. We hope that the Canadian government will react by finally saying: “Ah, maybe we should apply these recommendations”.
The project is ambitious. Five days of hearings, devoted to boarding schools, institutions, churches. And on the walls, behind the judges, we will display small children’s shoes. A strong image, to recall stolen lives
she says.
It is in the west of the city center-more precisely at Square Cabot-that the public will find the largest range of indigenous music in Montreal.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Ismaël Houdassine
In the meantime, the director has her eyes riveted on the stage. The concert takes place at Square Cabot, an emblematic place of indigenous homelessness in Montreal, which Nakuset knows intimately. I have been doing projects there for 15 years. We had street workers, then mediators. Even today, two of my employees are present in the park.
Around the square, the luxury condos towers replaced the old hospital. But prejudice on marginalized people persists. Perhaps by seeing these artists today, some will realize how talented the natives are. You have to change your eyes. There are among us who are professional, and those who are not yet, it is up to us to help them shine.
The fact remains that the organization of a concert on the occasion of the National Day of Aboriginal peoples has never been an easy task, she said. At one time, the Director of the Montreal Aboriginal Women Foyer received barely $ 6,000 or 8,000.
I had to do everything myself: to rent a scene, to find technicians for sound, and there was almost nothing left to pay the artists and I run a refuge. This is not really my field.
Everything changed when Pop Montreal joined the event about six years ago. Thanks to this partnership, the means have grown up, as is the ambition of the show.
If you look at the programming, almost none of the artists are local and all are indigenous. Our hoop dancers [la famille Sinquah] come from Phoenix, Arizona. They are world champions, they win all the prices wherever they spend.
The fact remains that the heart of the project remains the same, that of offering a moment of beauty and dignity to the most vulnerable. The public here are people in homelessness. They will never have the means to pay a ticket for a big concert. This one is free. If you stay for the show, you will see the expressions on their faces: it’s pure joy
Conclut Nakuset.
