At Last!
The journey for the people of Ouje Bougoumou has been a long one but it finally has a happy ending as they are joining the ranks of the other eight Cree communities by gaining full status under the Cree Naskapi Act.
On June 11, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl and the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians announced that legislation to amend the Cree-Naskapi Act received Royal Assent. The issue had been introduced in the House of Commons on April 27 to amend legislation which gives increased bylaw-making authority to the Cree of Eeyou Istchee.
“This legislation fulfills our commitment to provide the necessary powers to the Cree of Eeyou Istchee so that they can assume greater responsibility for community and economic development, as well as achieve increased autonomy,” stated Strahl in a press release. “The quick passage of this legislation shows what can be achieved when we work together toward a common goal.”
This announcement marks the end of a very long road for the people of Ouje Bougoumou as intensive mining activity and development had people voluntarily moving back to their traditional territory in the 1980s. Prior to the move, with over a dozen mining operations on their traditional lands and the clear cutting that came along with their development, the living conditions in the community had been compared to that of the Third World by independent observers.
Moving, however, proved difficult and community members found themselves with no other choice but to blockade the road to draw attention to their cause. Not long after that an agreement was reached with Quebec to contribute to the building of a new community and the construction started in the early 1990s.
In 1992, a historic agreement was also reached between Canada and the community of Ouje Bougoumou that confirmed the federal government’s contribution to the construction of the village.
Fortunately for the community they were also able to secure famed architect Douglas Cardinal to design the village so that it would not only be aesthetically pleasing but also reflect the community’s culture. Cardinal is known for designing Canada’s National Museum, the Museum of Civilization and the National Museum of the American Indian for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Despite its beauty and its people’s uncanny ability to thrive through hardship, the community of Ouje Bougoumou has remained without full status from the ’50s up until recently.
Getting Ouje Bougoumou under the Cree-Naskapi Act with full recognition as a Cree community was a campaign promise for present Grand Chief Matthew Mukash when he ran. Having this final campaign pledge finally fulfilled is an immense source of pride and joy for Mukash as he has laboured on this amendment since he began his term in 2005.
“There has been a tremendous amount of pressure in the past to get this done. It happened that when we reached an agreement in principal with Ottawa in 2008 on the Canada-Cree agreement we wanted to make sure that this was part of the negotiations. We made sure that Ouje Bougomou would be given the full status of a Cree community under the JBQNA,” said Mukash.
Not only will this amendment give Ouje the legal rights to create their own bylaws but, according to Mukash, this recognition entitles them to all of the services and all of the funding that comes from Quebec and Canada just like the other eight communities.
With this recognition another $100 million will also be coming to the Crees from the federal government that will go into the Cree Trust as part of the overall budget for the Cree Nation.
According to Mukash, Ouje Bougoumou is now officially a Cree Naskapi Act community but Crees still have to sign a complementary agreement to the James Bay Agreement that officially recognizes it as such.
“This has become a reality today and I am very happy. I would like to congratulate them. They will now be able to be full participants as part of the Cree government,” said Mukash.