One of the big topics at this year’s Grand Council/Cree Regional Authority Annual General Assembly was about problems with drugs and youth in the Cree communities.
Some residents have said even though they give information to the police about drug dealers and bootleggers they don’t see any real results. When the Nation talked to the Eeyou Eenou police they said they needed concrete proof before taking action.
That is fine and true as far as understanding any legal actions they can take to address those situations. But there is another response they can use legally in the Cree communities. The local band council is allowed to remove people from the community, even if they are members of the community in some cases.
I remember a case when a non-Cree came into Mistissini and people felt there was something wrong. Local police checked the person out. He said that he was looking around to see where he was going to build his home. Police explained he just couldn’t come on into the Cree community and do that as there was only area for our own population. As he didn’t agree with this response he was put in a police car. Officers drove the person in a police vehicle and his car from Mistissini all the way to Montreal.
These and more are precedents that validate Cree decisions of who can be a member of our communities. The band council should declare drug dealers and bootleggers personae non gratae, meaning they are not allowed to be in our communities. Police feel they need support to make this happen and the chief and band council should support them. Those local members of the Cree First Nation would be allowed to return on conditions that would see them not continuing those endeavours.
At the recent AGA, members talked about the youth and drug abuse problems in their communities saying it was a priority for the Cree Nation to deal with. Perhaps utilizing the powers of expulsion from the community would bring home how the community feels about their actions.
Ouje-Bougoumau Chief Gaston Cooper said youth and drug use is something that he and other chiefs are concerned about in Eeyou Istchee. “The use of drugs by youth way under the age of 18 is concerning. Some children are starting at an early age, 14, for example, but we have heard reports of even 10- or 8-year-olds. And even 14-year-olds selling drugs. My message to the dealers is to stop hurting our children.”
The words have resonated with Cree attending the AGA. Only time will tell if their desire to tackle this situation that affects our communities sees a positive result. Let us support our leaders and police in this endeavour.