An interview with Matthew Coon Come

Matthew Coon Come was born on a trapline and has devoted his entire adult life to Cree leadership and Cree rights. His leadership and determination are recognized in Eeyou Istchee, in Quebec, across Canada and internationally.

Perhaps more than any other Aboriginal leader, he has met with prime ministers and foreign leaders, religious leaders, and has spoken to numerous organizations on the dangers posed to all Aboriginal and treaty rights across this country by federal policy.

Coon Come has been and now is chairperson or director of most major Cree entities, funds, trust and boards. He is also a board member of a number of Canadian financial, energy and other corporations. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations and previously was the Grand Chief for the Grand Council of the Crees for 12 years. Earlier he was Chief of Mistissini for two terms.

Coon Come has also received numerous awards in recognition of his leadership marshalling local, national and international environmental, human rights and tribal communities to create a strong coalition to stop the Great Whale hydro-electric project. He holds Honourary Doctorates of Laws degrees from Trent University (1998) and from the University of Toronto (2000).

The Nation: Why are you the better candidate for Grand Chief?

Matthew Coon Come: The Matthew Coon Come Campaign has published “Six Excellent Reasons to Vote for Dr Matthew Coon Come for Grand Chief.” I think these 6 points say it all.

1. He is a nice guy, friendly, approachable caring, family and community man.

2. He is a strong and determined leader who has devoted his entire life to Cree leadership and Cree rights, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. He has led many Cree fights including our right of self-determination in the context of Quebec separation. He has set standards and paved the way of James Bay Crees’ successes in the 1990’s and 2000’s. These are significant achievements and there is much more to be achieved under his leadership.

3. He has an unmatched record of achievement. Under his leadership, the Crees signed many major agreements with Quebec and Canada, and established the necessary political leverage for great future progress. He is determined to raise standards even further, for the social and economic benefit of present and future generations of our people.

4. He has experience and was a founding member of most of Cree entities that now serve and provide important services and programs to the Cree Nation.

5. He has a national and international profile. He has addressed legislatures and international bodies concerning Cree rights. He has also used the courts to protect our rights. In the “Coon Come” case, it was recognized that First Nations are one of the three orders of government in Canada.

6. He has principles and courage. With over 20 years, he has demonstrated his principles and his courage to protect Cree Rights against powerful interests and adversaries, in Eeyou Istchee, Quebec, Canada and internationally.

I can only add that I do not disagree with these six points!

TN: What do you feel is your greatest strength as a leader?

MCC: My greatest strength is my unwavering faith of who I am. I am a child of God our Creator, the only son of a hunter, father to five wonderful children, husband to Mary Ann, and a survivor of Indian Residential Schools. I love the land, our culture, our language and our way of life. I am a fighter. I will fight to maximize benefits for our people. I will fight to minimize resource depletion, environmental degradation, cultural disruption and social instability. I will fight for maximum possible Cree say, and Cree control in the territory.

I believe I can be the one who can ensure for the Cree Nation that any development on Eeyou Istchee must occur in a way we Crees can accept. A way in which we have the final say and full control. A way that is sustainable for the animals and the land and for future generations.

I believe we must now build our own stronger Cree government on the foundations we inherited from the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. We must adapt it to our own contemporary reality. In our “Nation Building”, we Crees must assert our status as the true “owners” and the dominant government in Eeyou Istchee. These thoughts are my greatest strength as a Cree leader. When I say these things, I can say them with experience.

TN: Your current position as Chair of the Cree Nation Trust saw losses. How do you respond to critics on these losses and how much has been recovered to date?

MCC: There is a major international financial crisis at the moment of which everyone is aware. Gigantic international financial entities, such as AIG, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and the Bank of Scotland, suffered catastrophic losses. Some funds, and also countries like Iceland, lost 100% of their assets.

In contrast, the Cree Trust Fund has been prudently managed during my tenure as Chair. There have been some losses as a result of the same international market factors affecting much larger funds. But Cree losses have been relatively low in comparison. The equity portfolio of the Cree Nation Trust has experienced the same downward pressures as all markets, which are totally beyond our control.

The good news is that the Trust has met its obligations and has so far remitted $115 million to the Cree Regional Authority in keeping with the terms of the Trust Deed. My fellow Trustees and I have made the prudent decisions, in line with the best recommendations of reputable investment advisors. In a time of unprecedented global financial instability, we are proud of the protective efforts.

TN: What is your campaign platform?

MCC: The James Bay Cree Nation is entering a time of great challenges and great opportunities. I believe there is a need for renewed strong leadership, renewed vision and a renewed direction for our people. Eeyou/Iyiyuu now needs a courageous and experienced leader with the vision to tackle our most difficult challenges and harness our best opportunities.

I believe I am such a leader. I can and will be an effective “Voice of the People” for the next phase of Cree Nation Building. My platform is working for a brighter, even more prosperous Cree Nation with benefits for our people in better education, training, employment, housing, community development and governance. And my platform is also powerful external relations to ensure Cree control in Eeyou Istchee, our homeland.