Like the rivers which he protects, Roy Dupuis is a quiet force.  Normally untalkative, the man has opened up and humbly consented to reveal his philosophy of life, borrowed from the wisdom of aboriginal races, who inspire him and give him the drive to continue his fight for the environment.

Born in Ontario, Roy Dupuis grew up in Amos, in Abitibi, fountainhead of the Harricana River.  He lived there till the age of 12.  If he made his way through a small wood, he could set foot in the neighbouring village, Pikogan, an Algonquin hamlet.  Thus, in his early childhood, he developed a special bond with rivers and the First Nations.  But it was not until much later that these bonds materialised.

Approached by the organisation Adopt a River for his star status and his prominence in the media, Roy Dupuis began to make enquiries and to talk to specialists about environmental and energy matters.

“I learned a lot, and decided that the best way of getting these people heard was to get myself more involved.”

That is how he became co-founder of the Rivers Foundation.  Some people have criticised his involvement, claiming that he lent his image to a cause thus stopping the progress of projects which Quebec “can’t do without”.

But Roy Dupuis has done his homework.  His involvement exceeds that of merely lending his image and his voice in public.  When he speaks about rivers he cites specialists.  He also ensures that he is up to speed with the arguments in favour of hydroelectric projects.  “But nobody has succeeded in convincing me so far,” he claims.

In the course of his campaign, he has visited Native American villages, notably those of the Cree.  What he has learned of their beliefs and their way of life has made an impression on him.  The ignorance that Quebeckers have of the First Nations has astonished him. 

“We pay for airline tickets to go and see other civilisations on the opposite side of the world, while there is one next door to us.”

He has had no difficulty identifying with the philosophy of aboriginal races, beginning with their relationship with nature which he sums up in a single sentence : We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

“It’s powerful when you think about it.  We believe that we inherit the earth, but this is an illusion and we believe it.  Borrowing means that we don’t own it, that it belongs to future generations.  And everything that we do has an impact in the future.”

This is the concept that Roy keeps in his head when he fights to save the rivers of Quebec.  Rather than an isolated battle, he thinks that it’s our whole way of thinking that has to change.  Our philosophy would benefit from following the example of the wisdom of the American Indian. 

“Too often we  dissociate man from nature.  We often speak about the struggle of man against nature, of man changing his habitat.  While in fact we’re part of nature.  As long as we fail to respect nature we will not respect ourselves.”

In order to change things, Roy proposes an original solution.  Why not establish in our school system a period dedicated to a return to nature?

“Children could spend a week in the wild; not in the Laurentides, but a week on an unspoiled river, if any still exist, to learn what our ancestors went through and to see what it takes to live outdoors in the wild.”

According to Roy, being in contact with a gently flowing river and communing with nature, the younger generations will understand where they come from and where they are going.

When Quebec announced that it was going ahead with its project to divert the Rupert River, Roy Dupuis hit a low point;  the Rivers Foundation had suffered a defeat.

“Up to a point,” he concedes, “but in reality the river hasn’t been diverted yet.”  In other words, The Rivers Foundation has lost a battle, but not the war. For a start, Roy takes a positive view of the actions taken by the Foundation on this case.  “What we did was not in vain.  The media are better informed.”

Roy states that the fact that the start of the project has been accelerated also indicates a degree of anxiety. Furthermore, the project was to have cost around $4 million at the beginning.  The government now estimate it will be $5 million.  But according to the Rivers Foundation, it’s more likely to be $6 million.

“At that price, it becomes more expensive than wind power.  Even that argument (that wind power is too dear) no longer holds good.”

The Foundation also thinks that the majority of the Crees are against the project. Certainly they signed the Paix des Braves, but the diversion of the river was buried in a huge file. 

“Currently we are waiting for the Cree to act.  This has confused them.  The project has seriously divided them,” says Roy, who insists that the Foundation has not said its final word on the subject.