Young Cree participants spent three days role-playing as negotiators and community representatives in a simulation designed to deepen understanding of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and prepare them for future decisions affecting their lands.
Organized in mid-October by the Chisasibi Youth Council and the Gordon Foundation, the event marked the 51st anniversary of the JBNQA, which established Cree self-governance and authority over land use, education, health and economic development.
Deputy Youth Grand Chief Darius Neacappo Pelchat said the treaty simulation brought together over 40 young people for a hands-on learning experience about the challenges and dynamics of negotiations.
“It’s basically a re-enactment of how they got to do the negotiations back then and teaching our youth to protect our rights and to learn more about negotiating,” Pelchat said.
Participants were divided into three groups representing different interests in discussions over land protection: Cree Nation, the community of Chisasibi and Quebec government.
The scenario focused on protecting local traplines, with participants navigating competing priorities and mandates.
“At first, the participants were all so shy,” Pelchat said. “And the organizers did a great job doing icebreakers, so the youth could come out of their shells. It was awesome watching everyone get into the assigned roles.”
Pelchat said the simulation connected treaty education with Cree culture through traditional games organized by the Chisasibi Heritage & Cultural Centre.
“We want to make sure that our traditions are being passed down from generation to generation, so we understand where we came from and where we’re trying to go in the future,” he explained.
Pelchat said the first regional simulation was organized in 2020 through the Cree Nation Youth Council, with participants joining remotely via Zoom. A second event took place in Ottawa in 2024.
Experienced leaders who shared their knowledge with participants included Robert Kanatewat (an original signatory of the JBNQA), Chisasibi Chief Daisy House, and federal Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty.
For Pelchat, the most memorable part was seeing participants gain confidence in their ability to take on leadership roles.
“They’ll be the next ones to take all the jobs that the current leadership holds,” he said. “We are just the ones getting ready preparing for defending our land and making sure that we defend our rights, and we know where our communities can grow into.”
Ashley Ens, director of Northern Leadership and Treaties at the Gordon Foundation, believes the event was an opportunity for youth to connect treaty knowledge with the practical realities of governance.
She explained that the Gordon Foundation works to strengthen Canada’s northern public policy, protect freshwater resources and support Indigenous participation in decisions affecting their communities.
For the simulation, the foundation used the JBNQA as a framework to examine the protection of traplines.
“Traplines are important to Chisasibi because they’re much more than places to trap animals,” Ens explained. “They are family harvesting territories where people obtain food and maintain relationships with the land.”
Ens said participants had to consider how a commitment to protecting the land could become an agreement that different levels of government could implement, considering how relationships between the parties can be affected.
Robert Kanatewat attended as a community advisor and spoke about the importance of understanding different negotiating positions and the need to find common ground.
“He emphasized that not all parties are going to leave feeling happy, and part of the negotiation is meeting in the middle and being able to share insight into the position that you’re coming from,” Ens said. “Reaching an agreement often requires listening to other perspectives and understanding the mandates behind them.”
Chisasibi Youth Council Secretary Francine Matthew hopes the initiative will encourage more young people to take an interest in Cree history and become involved in community affairs.
“Discussions, decision making, the importance of having a voice, and learning directly from our Elders, advisors, and people connected to the agreement, helps keep our history alive,” she explained.
“Our history matters, don’t wait until you’re older to learn about your rights. Ask questions, listen to our Elders. It’s important that we understand where we came from, so we can help shape where we’re going.”