The state of our nation: The Grand Chief’s thoughts on 2013 and wishes for 2014

Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come has a unique perspective on his fellow Eeyouch and the ever-evolving communities they live in.

Coon Come has watched the people of Eeyou Istchee touch the lives of many over the past year, through social movements like the Journey of Nishiyuu and through the major power-plays that the Crees have made via numerous business deals and agreements.

Like any other individual, 2013 was a year for love and loss, for triumphs and tribulations, moments of joy and sorrow and, of course, laying down tracks for the road ahead. Here are the Grand Chief’s thoughts on the Cree Nation’s best moments of the past year, their prospects for the future and also, naturally, on hockey.

The Nation: What were your favourite moments of 2013 and why?

Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come: Over this past year I cannot tell you how proud I was of our young Nishiyuu Walkers, who decided on their own to show their solidarity with the Idle No More Movement and with the hunger strike of Chief Theresa Spence by walking from Whapmagoostui to Ottawa. They sent a clear and a positive message not only to Aboriginal peoples across the country but to non-Aboriginal peoples as well about the importance of dedication and commitment to a cause. They were a wonderful reminder to us of the things that are really important. It was a personal honour for me to meet them at different points of their journey and to welcome them when they reached Ottawa.

We took an important step forward in taking advantage of the opportunities before our Nation, to hold an important conference last March in Ottawa directed at our post-secondary students. We know that our future ability to become the major economic and political force in northern Quebec will depend on the success of our youth in developing the skills, the knowledge and the training to administer, to govern and to develop economically the resources within Eeyou Istchee. By all accounts, this Capacity-Building Roundtable was a great success. Not only did our students learn about the history of our Cree Nation over the past 40 years, they began to understand what their own role will be in furthering the vision of building the Cree Nation and becoming “masters of our own destiny”. This event was inspiring for everyone who attended.

I have to say that I was deeply touched when the people of Eeyou Istchee decided to put their trust in my leadership and elected me to continue moving our Nation in the direction we have been going for several years. We have clearly made important gains in our efforts to build the Cree Nation and that will continue to be our focus.

I have also been moved by the many invitations I receive to participate in local community events. Participating in these events gives me great personal satisfaction and provides me with the grounding and the rootedness I need to be an effective leader.

TN: What were some of your hardest moments as Eeyou Istchee’s leader?

GC: Although we have continued to achieve successes and to make progress in a number of important areas, as a leader, I am always disheartened and saddened when I see areas where we still need to do a great deal more. In particular, when I hear about some of the social problems that continue to be present in our communities, I am reminded about the issues where we need to place more emphasis on and make more effort in dealing with. It is hard for me, personally as a leader, when I hear about youth suicides. I know that we cannot achieve great things as a young Indigenous Nation unless we have healthy individuals and healthy communities. Our visions and our dreams related to the building of a dynamic Cree Nation will only be possible if we do that building on a solid foundation – a solid foundation of healthy, dedicated and committed individuals.

TN: Who has had the biggest impact on you and why?

GC: I have been blessed to have met many people along this journey of life. It goes without saying that my mom and dad had the greatest influence on my life both spiritually and culturally. They encouraged me to learn the white man’s books and to learn them well. My dad taught me to walk on the land and to learn the behaviour of the animals for they are the greatest indicators on the health of the land. Actually my dad said he would deprogram me after I learned the ways of the newcomers. This he has done.

Politically, it was Chief Smally Petawabano from Mistissini who taught me about leadership, about governments, about who we are and never to forget where we came from and to understand that we are, the people of the land.

A man of my position would never have been able to do what I do without the full support of my wife Maryann and my children. While I am away she has kept the fire burning at home. She too has great insight in the direction of Cree Nation building and often shares with me her views, which I take into consideration.

Lastly, I must mention my grandfather who was 114 years old when he passed away. His father was 115 years old and my grandfather’s grandfather was 135 years when he died. I come from a line of very good genes so I plan to be around for a while.

TN: How have the Crees progressed this year in terms of governance? Tell me about the strides made here and your first meeting with the regional committee of Crees and Jamesiens.

GC: We understood when we signed the Governance Agreement in July 2012, and when the Quebec legislation creating the regional government was passed earlier this year, that there would be an enormous amount of work involved on our part to implement the agreement and to start making it work. We have a huge task ahead of us to successfully take on the new jurisdictions we will be exercising with respect to Category II lands, and an equally large task to make the new regional government work.

I must say that our initial meetings with the Jamesiens, with whom we will be working in the new regional government, have been very positive, both at the level of the decision-making involving the mayors of the municipalities and our chiefs, but also at the administrative level where we have begun to know some of the personnel from the old MBJ who will now be working for the regional government. These initial meetings have, I believe, gotten us on the right track. I am looking forward to the first formal meetings of the new regional government, which will take place early in the New Year, and I am looking forward to seeing our new regional government begin to deal with issues that are of common concern to the region as a whole.

TN: How has the wealth of the Cree Nation prospered in 2013?

GC: During this past year we have seen the conclusion of important agreements with mining companies that will provide our communities with important sources of employment and income. We have concluded an Impact Benefit Agreement IIBA) in Mistissini with Stornoway, a company which will be developing the diamond potential in Mistissini’s traditional territory. In Oujé-Bougoumou we signed the BallyHusky Agreement with BlackRock Metals. This company will be exploiting the iron-ore potential within the Oujé-Bougoumou traditional territory. Both of these agreements have significant potential for employment and contracting opportunities for our communities. At the same time, the Eleonore Project is being implemented on Wemindji’s traditional territory and there are substantial benefits flowing to the community’s people.

At the same time we are gearing up to implement the Governance Agreement, which will have implications for the staffing of our Cree Nation Governance. By taking on new powers and new jurisdictions on Category II lands and within the regional government we expect to see additional employment on that front.

Also, our New Relationship Agreement with Canada, in combination with the Paix des Braves funding, has resulted in very important capital projects taking place in all of our communities. This means that our communities are growing, needs for a wide range of facilities are being met and employment is available for our people. So, all in all, we are doing quite well on the employment and income side.

TN: And, how has the health of the Cree Nation prospered in 2013?

GC: I mentioned the development that is taking place within our communities, and regionally, which is creating new employment opportunities for our people. When we have these real opportunities that our people are taking advantage of, then that has implications for our overall health. With family income increasing, people can afford adequate houses, and with increased income people’s health generally improves. When people have jobs and when people have responsibilities they usually have a reason to get up in the morning and be productive. All the usual indicators of health show that our communities enjoy a higher quality of life than our Aboriginal brothers and sisters in the rest of the country.

This isn’t to say that we don’t have a lot of work to do to improve the health and well being of our communities. We clearly have a lot of work to do in the area of housing to address the substantial backlog we have in the communities, and we certainly have a lot of work to do in addressing the social problems in our communities. We are committed to doing this work while at the same time remembering to be grateful for the significant advances we have made in improving the living conditions in our communities.

TN: 2013 saw Eeyou Istchee’s Nishiyuu Walkers make both national and international headlines. What kind of an impact do you think they had on their own Nation/Cree governance?

GC: I am extremely proud of our Nishiiyu Walkers. They achieved a goal that they set for themselves and they did it the Cree way – with determination, with focus, and holding dear the core values of our culture which are the values of sharing, caring and respect.

They showed us the strength of their character and they showed that the Aboriginal youth of this country can use their energies in positive ways, for positive goals, and in very inspiring ways. They also sent out a loud and clear call for unity among all Aboriginal peoples at a time when we all came together to push for fundamental changes in the way that Aboriginal peoples are treated in Canada.

They also reminded us of the importance of protecting our lands and protecting our environment. It will be only through our direct involvement in what happens on our traditional territories that we can ensure that what happens there takes into account the preciousness of the land, the waters and the wildlife, and takes into account the future generations who also will need the land and its resources to sustain them.

And this really is what our governance initiatives have been all about and this is what the building of our Cree Nation has been about. We are reclaiming our lands and reclaiming our control over our territory, and demonstrating that our connection to the land, which has sustained us throughout our history, will continue to sustain us.

TN: Who is your all-time favourite hockey player?

GC: Guy Lafleur, number 10 of the Montreal Canadiens. As a young peewee hockey player I saw him play in Shawinigan. At that time he was playing for the Quebec Ramparts, a major Junior “A” team. The rest is history.

TN: What do you hope to accomplish in 2014?

GC: We will, for the foreseeable future, continue in the direction we have been going for several years. With the overall objective of continuing to build the Cree Nation, we will place a lot of emphasis this coming year on the implementation of our Governance Agreement. This is such an important part of our future that we cannot spare any effort to make sure that our first steps are done thoroughly and properly so that we get started in the right direction.

We also have unfinished business with Canada. We still need to conclude the governance agreement related to the Cree/Canada New Relationship Agreement. We hope that in 2014 we will be able to remove the current obstacles that are preventing our negotiating team to reach an agreement.

I have said many times that it will be important, in order to take full advantage of the opportunities before us, that we make as a priority the engagement of our youth. We will be building on the Capacity-Building Roundtable, which was held last March, by taking the same message to all our communities. We will be speaking directly to our youth and other community members about the importance of preparing the next generation to carry the torch and take the Cree Nation to the next level.

There are a number of other issues we will be focusing on to ensure protection of our Cree rights, including the resolution of the Baril/Moses Agreement that Quebec has been violating. This agreement has to do with the extension of Cree rights in the area of forestry over the height of land in the southern part of the Mistissini territory. We have prepared court proceedings to address this issue, yet we will continue to make overtures to Quebec to attempt to resolve this matter without having to go to court.

We will also continue to be supportive of the Washaw Sibi Eeyou in their effort to establish a new Cree community where they will be able to protect their Cree language and culture, and also, where they will be able to bring their standard of living to the same level as the nine Cree communities. The community is very close to selecting a site for the new village, and once this is done, we will begin serious discussions with Quebec to set aside land for the new village. As we have said many times, while we are making great progress in our communities, we will leave no one behind.

I would also like to mention that we have begun a process to work closely with MoCreebec to address their long-standing claims with respect to benefits under the JBNQA. We welcome this initiative on the part of the MoCreebec leadership and we look forward to positive developments in the coming year.

The Quebec government has announced its intention to support northern development, replacing the theme of Plan Nord with that of Le Nord Pour Tous (The North for All). Our Nation will continue to participate in the Aboriginal Partners and Partners table and remind Quebec of our principles and conditions.

TN: Can you tell us about the new provincial mining policy and what impacts it might have on the Cree, particularly when it comes to treaty rights?

GC: We have made it clear that when it comes to mining activities within Eeyou Istchee we will continue to be guided by the various agreements we have in place, including the JBNQA, the Paix des Braves and our new Governance Agreement. We will also be guided by our own Cree Mining Policy, which requires mining companies to engage with us at every critical phase in the development of a mining project. This will not change. We will continue to insist that mining companies wishing to operate within Eeyou Istchee respect our requirements for pre-development agreements, and the impact and benefits agreements, which provide important benefits for affected hunters, their families and our communities.

TN: Is there anything you would like to add?

GC: Although we have made great strides in gaining recognition of our Cree rights and in improving the standard of living for our people, there is still so much to do to maintain that momentum. We can never become complacent or take for granted what we have achieved over the last 40 years. My hope is that, as a people, as communities, and as families, we remain engaged and involved in the life of our communities at every level. We all have important work to do in encouraging and supporting our youth to use their energies in positive ways and for the benefit of our communities and our Nation. We still have work to do to build a healthy and prosperous Cree Nation and we need everyone’s hands, hearts and minds. We still have a vision to fulfill.