Natives Are No Longer Restless About Supporting the City’s Bid

Four days before the vote on the 2002 Winter Games, Quebec played a trump card Monday by announcing it had received the backing of the province’s native groups.

In an attempt to upstage North American rival and favorite Salt Lake City, the Quebec bidding committee called a news conference to present the grand chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation, Max One Onti Gros-Louis.

Wearing native dress and flanked by Quebec Mayor Jean-Paul L’Allier and bid president Rene Paquet, Gros-Luis said the province’s 11 tribes had passed a resolution supporting the Quebec Olympic effort in “a policy of partnership.”

Gros-Luis, who represents the 75,000 natives living in 42 reserves across the province, said he handed a copy of the document to IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch.

“This isn’t just about taking part in the opening or closing ceremonies,” he said. “We’re not only folklore. We would like to be really involved.”