Le Nord au cœur

Serge Giguère's Le Nord au cœur provides a concise synopsis of one man's passionate relationship with the Canadian North, Northern Québec in particular. Having spent his life working within and defending the North's diversity, Louis-Edmond Hamelin has been integral in establishing while deconstructing Northern semantic conceptions while working hand-in-hand with Northern Aboriginal peoples.

The sparsely populated Canadian North occupies the majority of Canada's landscape(s) and the traditions of its Aboriginal peoples, from Labrador to Yukon, can be differentiated by sundry distinct variables. Creating a terse one-dimensional definition to encapsulate the vibrant traditions of so many prominent cultures does a disservice to their integrity, and is akin to trying to attach a monosyllabic moniker to Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Louis-Edmond Hamelin's lifework takes this frame into account while striving to ensure that Canada's Aboriginal peoples have a substantial voice in regards to the ways in which their land is developed. Le Nord au cœur demonstrates how political initiatives continually apply invigorated euphemisms to Northern development strategies, transhistorically presented as the new, without first respectfully negotiating with the nations whom these initiatives will directly and perennially impact.

It also offers picturesque visual details of other multidimensional Northern nomenclatures which diversify the North's multiplicities further. Cool look at an openminded man's lifetime commitment to integrating voices which often (still) go unheard.