A discussion with Grand Chief Coon Come on the Quebec election

As voting day in Quebec looms amid rumours of a referendum and whether First Nations issues are being addressed or if treaty lands would even stay part of the province, the Nation felt that it was time to check in with Cree leadership to get an official perspective from Eeyou Istchee.

Discussing First Nations stereotypes, voting in this election, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and what would happen with the Cree in the event of yet another referendum, the Nation spoke with the Grand Chief.

The Nation (TN): There is a notion in this province that Natives don’t vote; do you think that this is true about the Cree?

Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come (GC): I think that is just a perception and certainly doesn’t apply to the Cree Nation. We had a very good turnout in our recent elections for Grand Chief/Deputy Grand Chief; we had a good turnout for important referendums in recent years including the Eeyou Marine Region Agreement and the last referendum on Quebec secession. I think that, increasingly, our people understand what the issues are, what candidates stand for, and they are engaged as citizens should be in deciding on what is best for the future of the Cree Nation.

TN: Why should they vote?

GC: I have always encouraged our people to exercise their right to vote. As our population continues to grow our votes have a greater impact on the outcome of elections. We can, through our voting, make decisions that are beneficial to our Cree Nation and to our communities.

It is through our votes that we can send a clear message to governments about what our needs are, what our preferences are and what we consider to be in our own interest. Increasingly, the Cree Nation is becoming the major political force in our region and we can, through our votes, actually make a difference. It is an opportunity to make changes that can be to our benefit. I have encouraged our people to be involved in any forum, venue or arena where there is the possibility of advancing the interests of the Cree Nation.

TN: Do you feel that these parties are doing enough to woo First Nations votes?

GC: In general, I would say that historically Aboriginal people have been largely ignored in electoral politics. Too often, electoral boundaries have been configured in such a way as to ensure the minority status of our people across the country. In spite of this gerrymandering practice there are areas where the population of Aboriginal people is still increasing and where they cannot be ignored in electoral politics. Wherever there is a voting bloc that can make a difference in any election that is where we will see political parties showing up.

I also believe that Aboriginal people will play an increasing role in the way in which resource development takes place on the traditional territories of Aboriginal people. This reality will translate eventually into an increasing interest on everyone’s part in involving our communities in electoral politics. The fact that we now have a Cree MP in Parliament, Romeo Saganash, is an expression of this emerging reality for Aboriginal people across the country. I like to think that the Cree Nation is showing the way in this arena.

TN: From where you are sitting, what is the most important issue for the Crees in this election?

GC: Our most important immediate concerns are to make sure that the initiatives we have begun and the progress we have made continue. We need to see a commitment by all parties to fully implement the Governance Agreement and to continue to implement the Paix des Braves as well as other agreements. There is also a number of other files where initial progress has been made and these also need to progress.

From a larger perspective, we have always, and we will continue to be extremely vigilant in ensuring that our fundamental rights are respected and that no initiatives that erode or diminish our rights gain any foothold.

TN: Because of the treaty and subsequent agreements that the Cree have signed, what kind of an impact does a change in government have on Eeyou Istchee?

GC: A change in government does not necessarily imply any impact on Eeyou Istchee, our agreements or our rights. Since the signing of the Paix des Braves we have lived through two subsequent governments in Quebec and we have been able to make progress throughout those changes with each new government. We have strengthened the nation-to-nation relationship between the Cree Nation and Quebec with each successive Quebec government, and I expect this will continue.

The only factor that can cause us concern is the platform upon which any political party campaigns and the policies and initiatives that may be put in place after an election. We will be very concerned if we hear anything that could have a detrimental effect on our rights and on what we have gained until now. As I mentioned, we will remain vigilant and alert to any measure which could have a negative impact on Cree rights or which could negatively impact the agreements we have concluded with Quebec, and we will not hesitate to act accordingly.

TN: Ever since the moment that Pierre Karl Péladeau dropped the sovereignty bomb, there has been much talk about what this would actually mean. Because the JBNQA is federal, would Cree territory remain part of Canada?

GC: Before we speak of the JBNQA, it is important for me to mention the most fundamental point: Eeyou Istchee is the home of the Cree Nation, and we have lived here as a people since time immemorial. The Cree territory is also subject to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, which is a covenant among three primary government parties – the Crees, Quebec and Canada. The JBNQA is a fundamental constitutional document, a constitutionally protected treaty, which cannot be unilaterally altered or modified by any one of the parties. Amendments, modifications and changes to the JBNQA cannot be carried out by any party acting alone.

During the era of the last referendum on Quebec secession in the mid-1990s, we expressed our position on what secession would mean to the Cree Nation very clearly. We asserted our rights as a nation, as a people with the inalienable right of self-determination. We made it known that we would decide for ourselves, and that fundamental decisions about our political status and our territory would not be made without our consent and participation. We held our own referendum at that time, and 97% of our Cree population let it be known that we as a people would not consent to the Quebec government separating the James Bay Crees and Cree traditional territory from Canada in the event of a Yes vote in the Quebec referendum.

In short, the Cree position is that without the explicit, informed and prior consent of the Cree people, there can be no secession by Quebec which has an impact on Cree territory, Cree individuals or Cree rights. The Cree Nation, and the Cree people, will not be treated as furniture which can be moved from one house to another or one jurisdiction to another – without a voice in the matter. We are not possessions of any government. We are a nation, a people possessing the right of self-determination. We will always insist on our right to decide for ourselves. We will never permit our future political status to be fundamentally altered without our consent.

The Cree Nation has experienced many changes over the last 20 years. We have built a successful and respectful nation-to-nation relationship with Quebec. But our position regarding our rights as a people has not changed: we will always fight to protect our fundamental human rights, our Aboriginal rights and our treaty rights. If the circumstances require it, we will make our own decisions, as a people, regarding what it best for us and for our lands.

TN: Is there anything else you would like to add?

GC: Yes, I would like to state very clearly that the Cree Nation has made great strides in improving relations with Quebec since the signing of the Paix des Braves in 2002. That agreement was negotiated with the PQ government under Bernard Landry. We have strengthened the nation-to-nation relationship between the Cree Nation and Quebec with each successive Quebec government since that time.

We have, together, created a new and workable framework of co-existence based on the acknowledgment of our rights. We have fulfilled the vision of the original James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement for us to become partners with Quebec in the development of the territory.

We have created new opportunities for the effective and democratic governance of the territory with the establishment of our unique regional government negotiated under the Liberal government of Jean Charest and we are now putting that regional government in place with the current PQ government under Pauline Marois.

We have worked with Quebec to encourage development initiatives in the territory and we have laid the framework for resource development to take place in Eeyou Istchee in a way that both respects our rights and offers attractive conditions for industry. Whether Quebec’s initiative for developing the north is called the “Plan Nord” or “Le Nord Pour Tous,” we will be involved, we will work closely with both industry and government, and we will work collaboratively with people in our region and throughout Quebec.

We have, together, the Crees and Quebec, set an example for the respectful inclusion of Aboriginal peoples in the fabric of society. Quebec has, over the past 15 years, shown courage in choosing a path of inclusion based upon a respectful nation-to-nation relationship, rather than continuing on a path of exclusion, strife and disharmony.

We applaud the PQ government for its approach in the discussions that led to the Paix des Braves and which, in turn, resulted in a number of other important initiatives over the past 15 years. Quebec was courageous and honourable in recognizing our Aboriginal and treaty rights and in its willingness to go down a path of honour and mutual respect. In doing so, we believe we have created a model for the rest of the country, and perhaps, the rest of the world.

It is, by far, our preference to continue building the kind of relationship we have built over the last 15 years with Quebec – a relationship built on mutual respect, inclusion and acknowledgment of Cree rights. We prefer to continue down the path that has the promise of creating “win-win” situations for ourselves, our neighbours in our region and Quebecers generally. We would hope that when it comes to its relationship with the Cree Nation, Quebec would be looking to create “win-win” situations rather than looking for “winning conditions.”