Grand Council of the Crees
Encyclopedia
The Grand Council of the Crees , or the GCC, is the political body that represents the approximately 16,357 Cree
s or “Iyyu” (Coastal Dialect)/ “Iynu” (Inland dialect) of the Eeyou Istchee
territory in the James Bay
and Nunavik
regions of Northern Quebec
, Canada
. The Grand Council has twenty members: a Grand Chief and Deputy-Grand Chief elected at large by the Iyyu, the chiefs elected by each of the nine Cree communities, and one other representative from each community.
The grand chief, Matthew Coon Come
, and the deputy grand chief, Ashley Iserhoff, were elected in 2009. The Council’s head office is in the Cree community of Nemaska
, with offices in Montreal
, Ottawa
and Quebec City
.
, which had already been underway since 1971. When the James Bay Project
was first announced the Iyyu of Iyyu-Isci were still governed by a traditional political structure. That political structure was organized to exploit the resources of Iyyu-Isci by their traditional hunting, fishing and trapping way of life. Cree lands were divided into family harvesting territories, each headed by a hunting leader or "ucimâw", that were resource management units and a means of distributing the Cree people over a vast territory. So the Cree organized themselves at a council of Cree leaders to represent the Cree and their rights at the negotiations between the Iyyu and the Quebec and Canadian governments, which led to the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
in November 1975.
While the CRA is a separate legal entity from the GCC, they have identical membership, board of directors, governing structures and are de facto managed and operated as one organization by the Cree Nation.
A few days prior to the October 30, 1995 province-wide referendum on secession from Canada, the Grand Council facilitated a referendum within Cree territory on the question of whether the Crees should be authorized to separate from an independent Quebec
, in order to remain part of Canada. Over 96% of participating voters chose to remain in Canada.
Grand Chief Matthew Mukash is considered a traditionalist and fought against the Great Whale hydroelectric project in the 1990s, alongside the Grand Chiefs Matthew Coon Come
and Billy Diamond
. In 2002, he opposed the signing of the Paix des Braves, a comprehensive 50 year political and economic agreement with the Government of Quebec, and as well as the 2002 and 2004 agreements with Hydro-Québec
on the joint development of the hydro-electric resources of the Rupert River.
Elected in late 2005 as Grand Chief, in replacement of Ted Moses, Matthew Mukash is opposed to the Rupert River Diversion which is undergoing joint Quebec-Cree environmental assessment since 2004. Mukash hopes to convince the Government of Quebec and Hydro-Québec to pursue wind power as an alternative source of economic development and energy. His other main political goals are to prepare a Cree constitution, build sovereignty, encourage nation-building, and move Cree leadership back to Cree territory from Montréal
and Ottawa
.
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
s or “Iyyu” (Coastal Dialect)/ “Iynu” (Inland dialect) of the Eeyou Istchee
Eeyou Istchee (territory)
Eeyou Istchee is a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality of Quebec, represented by the Grand Council of the Crees. Its geographical code is 993. It comprises numerous scattered non-contiguous communities primarily enclaved within the municipality of Baie-James, but not a part of...
territory in the James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
and Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
regions of Northern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Grand Council has twenty members: a Grand Chief and Deputy-Grand Chief elected at large by the Iyyu, the chiefs elected by each of the nine Cree communities, and one other representative from each community.
The grand chief, Matthew Coon Come
Matthew Coon Come
Matthew Coon Come is a Canadian politician and activist of Cree descent. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2000 to 2003.Born near Mistissini, Quebec, Coon Come was first educated in a residential school...
, and the deputy grand chief, Ashley Iserhoff, were elected in 2009. The Council’s head office is in the Cree community of Nemaska
Nemaska, Quebec
Nemaska is a small Cree community located on the shores of Lake Champion, in Quebec, Canada. It is the smallest Cree village with a population of 560 people...
, with offices in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
History
The Council was formed in 1974 in response to the James Bay Cree hydroelectric conflictJames Bay Cree hydroelectric conflict
The James Bay Cree hydroelectric conflict refers to the resistance by James Bay Cree to the James Bay Hydroelectric Project and the Quebec Government, beginning in 1971.-A brief timeline of the James Bay Cree :...
, which had already been underway since 1971. When the James Bay Project
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project is a series of hydroelectric development with a combined installed capacity of over 16,000 megawatts built since 1974 for Hydro-Québec by the on the La Grande and other rivers of Northern Quebec....
was first announced the Iyyu of Iyyu-Isci were still governed by a traditional political structure. That political structure was organized to exploit the resources of Iyyu-Isci by their traditional hunting, fishing and trapping way of life. Cree lands were divided into family harvesting territories, each headed by a hunting leader or "ucimâw", that were resource management units and a means of distributing the Cree people over a vast territory. So the Cree organized themselves at a council of Cree leaders to represent the Cree and their rights at the negotiations between the Iyyu and the Quebec and Canadian governments, which led to the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
The James Bay And Northern Quebec Agreement was an Aboriginal land claim settlement, approved in 1975 by the Cree and Inuit of northern Quebec, and later slightly modified in 1978 by the Northeastern Quebec Agreement, through which Quebec's Naskapi First Nations joined the treaty...
in November 1975.
Cree Regional Authority
The Cree Regional Authority (CRA), formed in 1978, serves as the administrative authority of the Crees of Quebec and provides services to the nine Cree communities. The CRA is responsible for environmental protection and is also the legal body representing the Cree to provincial and federal administrations.While the CRA is a separate legal entity from the GCC, they have identical membership, board of directors, governing structures and are de facto managed and operated as one organization by the Cree Nation.
Political Developments
The Grand Council of the Crees has been active in asserting the right of the Crees to determine their own future, in the event that Quebec secedes from Canada. In October 1995, the Grand Council issued a "Message regarding the rights of the Crees and other Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, which stated, in part:A few days prior to the October 30, 1995 province-wide referendum on secession from Canada, the Grand Council facilitated a referendum within Cree territory on the question of whether the Crees should be authorized to separate from an independent Quebec
Partition of Quebec
Partition in Quebec politics refers to the secession of regions of the province of Quebec, rather than to partitions in a strict political sense. It is usually discussed as a possibility in the event of Quebec secession from Canada...
, in order to remain part of Canada. Over 96% of participating voters chose to remain in Canada.
Grand Chief Matthew Mukash is considered a traditionalist and fought against the Great Whale hydroelectric project in the 1990s, alongside the Grand Chiefs Matthew Coon Come
Matthew Coon Come
Matthew Coon Come is a Canadian politician and activist of Cree descent. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2000 to 2003.Born near Mistissini, Quebec, Coon Come was first educated in a residential school...
and Billy Diamond
Billy Diamond
Billy Diamond was the chief of the Waskaganish, Quebec Cree in 1970, and grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees from 1974 to 1984. In May 2008, Diamond suffered from a stroke which left him paralysed completely on his left side. On November 21, 2008 he recovered and credits Jesus Christ for...
. In 2002, he opposed the signing of the Paix des Braves, a comprehensive 50 year political and economic agreement with the Government of Quebec, and as well as the 2002 and 2004 agreements with Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
on the joint development of the hydro-electric resources of the Rupert River.
Elected in late 2005 as Grand Chief, in replacement of Ted Moses, Matthew Mukash is opposed to the Rupert River Diversion which is undergoing joint Quebec-Cree environmental assessment since 2004. Mukash hopes to convince the Government of Quebec and Hydro-Québec to pursue wind power as an alternative source of economic development and energy. His other main political goals are to prepare a Cree constitution, build sovereignty, encourage nation-building, and move Cree leadership back to Cree territory from Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
Grand Chiefs
- Matthew Coon-Come, 2010 to present
- Matthew Mukash, 2005 to 2010
- Ted MosesTed MosesTed Moses, is a Cree politician from Eastmain, a small remote village in northern Quebec, Canada. He is a former Grand Chief of the Crees . In addition, Mr. Moses is a recipient of the title of "Officer" of the National Order of Quebec.-Profile:Ted Moses was born in Eastmain, in the James Bay...
, 1984 to 2005 - Billy DiamondBilly DiamondBilly Diamond was the chief of the Waskaganish, Quebec Cree in 1970, and grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees from 1974 to 1984. In May 2008, Diamond suffered from a stroke which left him paralysed completely on his left side. On November 21, 2008 he recovered and credits Jesus Christ for...
, 1974 to 1984
Cree communities of the Grand Council
- ChisasibiChisasibi, QuebecChisasibi is a village on the eastern shore of James Bay, in the Eeyou Istchee territory in northern Quebec, Canada. It is situated on the south shore of La Grande River , less than from the river's mouth...
- EastmainEastmain, QuebecEastmain is a Cree community located on James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is the smallest of the coastal Cree villages with a population of 606 people...
- MistissiniMistissini, QuebecMistissini is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini . The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people...
- NemaskaNemaska, QuebecNemaska is a small Cree community located on the shores of Lake Champion, in Quebec, Canada. It is the smallest Cree village with a population of 560 people...
- seat of the GCC and CRA, also the smallest Cree village - Oujé-BougoumouOujé-Bougoumou, QuebecOujé-Bougoumou is the newest Cree community located on the shores of Lake Opemisca, in the Jamésie region of Quebec, Canada...
- the newest and most modern Cree village - WaskaganishWaskaganish, QuebecWaskaganish is a Cree village of about 2000 people at the mouth of the Rupert River on the south-east shore of James Bay in the Eeyou Istchee territory in Northern Quebec, Canada...
- WaswanipiWaswanipi, QuebecWaswanipi is a Cree/Iynu community in the Eeyou Istchee territory of central Quebec, Canada, located along Route 113 and near the confluence of the Chibougamau and Waswanipi Rivers. It has a population of 1,473 people...
- WemindjiWemindji, QuebecWemindji is a small Cree community on Paint Hills Bay off James Bay at the mouth of the Maquatua River in Quebec, Canada. The community has a population of 1238 people ....
- WhapmagoostuiWhapmagoostui, QuebecWhapmagoostui |beluga]]") is the northernmost Cree village in Quebec, located at the mouth of the Great Whale River on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. About 500 people, mostly Inuit, live in the neighbouring northern village of Kuujjuarapik. The community is only accessible by...
- Sole Cree village in Nunavik and not accessible by road