Quebec announces cultural agreement in Oujé-Bougoumou

Quebec Culture Minister Luc Fortin  visited the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute in Oujé-Bougoumou June 26 to announce a three-year cultural development agreement between the provincial government and the Cree Nation.

The announcement marks the “first time Quebec has done a public consultation within a Cree community,” said Abel Bosum, who presented cultural recommendations to the ministry during the meeting. “Quebec’s cultural policy hasn’t been amended for over 25 years, and including First Nations at the start of this process is good way to build a better relationship.”

The agreement signed in Oujé-Bougoumou includes a $1.1-million investment over three years to “protect and promote the culture of the Cree Nation and support the preservation of traditions and art heritage elements,” said Fortin.

While the ACCI will benefit from additional funding, the investment will be distributed throughout the community’s public entities. “Cree culture is imbedded in everything we do – health, education, governance,” said Bosum.

Experience has shown the Cree government that the success of strategic planning depends on funding certainty and multi-tiered commitment. “We want to negotiate multi-year agreements. This approach would guarantee long-term plans, designed by the Cree, and the resources to carry them out,” insisted Bosum.

In addition to creating a better relationship with First Nations communities, Quebec’s new policy is aimed at a cultural identity that includes Canada’s three founding nations – Aboriginal, French and British. But Bosum remains guarded about how much change will be affected.

“Time will tell. It’s a question of what kind of financial resources are allocated, and also the venues that will be used to promote Indigenous culture and language,” he said. “If the provincial and federal governments could create a cultural policy that embraced all of the three founding nations of Canada, that would encourage Indigenous people to feel more part of their province and Canada.”