PATIENCE AND AUDACITY TO CHANGE THINGS Excerpt from a conversation between André Casault, coresearcher Living in Northern Quebec, initiator of a 20-year collaboration with the Innu of Nitassinan, and Gaëlle AndréLescop, Innu of Uashat mak Mani-utenam and civil engineer of the Mamuitun Tribal Council. Pessamit, June 2019. Gaëlle André Lescop is an Innu of Uashat mak Mani-utenam. She is a civil engineer working at the Mamuitun Tribal Council, a community development organization working with five Innu communities. Gaëlle also worked for several years in the Infrastructure sector at the Uashat mak Mani-utenam Band Council. She has served on Société d’Habitation du Québec’s Board of Directors. She holds a master’s degree in Urban Design from Université Laval’s School of Architecture (EAUL). She has been involved with the Habitats + Cultures Group for several years and sits on Living in Northern Quebec’s Steering Committee. She has participated in several projects, including the development of the Planning Guide for Innu communities innuassia-um.org. She has presented the results of her research in several conferences, including Arctic Social Sciences in Sweden and the Université Féministe d’été (U. Laval), as well as in ‘Recherches Amérindiennes au Québec’ 1.
André Casault: What has your experience in Living in Northern Quebec (LINQ) brought to your practice? How do you apply the shared knowledge in your work? Gaëlle André-Lescop: From a personal standpoint, this experience has brought me a lot. I’ve learned more than I could have imagined! I now think differently. My eyes are opened to my surroundings, especially with regards to the built environment. Today, no matter where I am, even if the surroundings appear less attractive... I’m not bored! I enjoy observing the layout of spaces, the ambiance, what could be improved and what makes me feel 336
