August 8 marked 50 years since the official establishment of the Grand Council of the Crees, emerging from the turmoil surrounding Quebec’s James Bay hydroelectric project to become the driving force uniting the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee.
While expanding development of natural resources had already altered the Cree way of life by the 1960s, it was the provincial government’s announcement of a mega-hydroelectric project within their territory in 1971 that forced an immediate response. Leaders from each Cree community gathered for a historic meeting and young Waskaganish Chief Billy Diamond was appointed Grand Chief.
“Billy Diamond came up with the idea that we needed a Grand Council and a Grand Chief who was not afraid to stand up to governments,” recalled Ted Moses, a member of the delegation battling Quebec in court who translated between trappers and lawyers. “It created a position of power during negotiations.”
Anticipating great impacts on their livelihood, the Cree and Inuit sought an injunction from the Superior Court of Quebec and six months later Judge Albert Malouf decided in their favour. Their primary argument was that Canada’s transfer of Quebec’s northern territories in 1898 and 1912 stated the obligation to settle Indigenous land claims, which Quebec had completely ignored as it had no interest in this region until the 1960s.
Although construction work resumed only a week later when the Quebec Court of Appeal suspended the injunction, negotiations regarding La Grande hydroelectric complex began in early 1974.
While support was initially provided by the Indians of Quebec Association (IQA), whose stable funding enabled the engagement of lawyers Jacques Beaudoin and James O’Reilly, tension developed when the IQA took the position that Canada and Quebec should settle southern land claims before the James Bay issue.
“The Grand Council became necessary when the IQA decided that the concerns of the southern-based First Nations would take priority over the Crees’ confrontation with the world’s largest hydroelectric project,” explained former executive director Bill Namagoose. “If we had agreed with that, we’d still be waiting.”
Moses told the Nation in 2003 that the young Cree leaders borrowed the concept of a Grand Council from other parts of Canada, bringing together all the Chiefs to speak on behalf of the Cree Nation. Despite explaining that the GCC was created for the specific situation of the Crees, IQA executives felt they were breaking away and there was initial conflict with other First Nations.
The decision to incorporate the Grand Council under federal law in 1974 was also controversial, with some assuming that accepting the non-Native tax structure meant thinking like a White man. However, Quebec’s negotiator John Ciacca was “ecstatic” because it created a position of accountability that immediately changed the tone and direction of discussions.
“That was one of the best big political moves that the Crees made, to form their own organization,” said Moses. “It was the idea of unity that people liked. One people, one voice. Through the creation of the Grand Council, we were able to achieve recognition as a treaty so therefore the JBNQA received constitutional protection.”
The GCC’s formation marked a turning point in the Cree Nation’s contemporary history, with its focus on unity and Cree rights earning it credibility in Eeyou Istchee from the beginning. Negotiations between the Cree and Inuit and provincial and federal governments in 1975 yielded the first comprehensive land claim to be settled in Canada, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA).
Recognizing the traditional way of life was becoming less economically viable, negotiators said there must be alternative employment in social services, education and healthcare. Whereas the IQA and other bands were reluctant to deal with provinces, Quebec was open to having Cree school and health boards if they were under Quebec law.
“We broke that mould,” said Namagoose. “Today, Native people still believe the federal government should provide all these services for them. They don’t have the legal framework to deal with Canada and Quebec. It’s like travelling without a road map.”
While the Grand Council is now synonymous with the Cree Nation Government, lawyers have advised never to dissolve it because it’s the official signatory to the JBNQA. As Canada and Quebec long refused to use the words Cree Nation Government in legislation, it became known as the Cree Regional Authority until Quebec agreed for it to be changed to the CNG in 2012.
Managing the GCC’s Montreal office in its early days, former Deputy Grand Chief Violet Pachanos recalled, “We had no money and we had no credit. We had to beg the National Indian Brotherhood for the little funds we got. We eventually got a loan from Indian Affairs when they saw our negotiations were serious.”
When Namagoose began his 35 years as executive director in 1988, Canada and Quebec treated the JBNQA as “just another contract” and weren’t living up to their obligations. Through legal actions and grassroots activism, the Cree Nation focused on stopping the Great Whale hydro project, resulting in the famous Odeyak boat journey to New York in 1990.
Following that hugely successful endeavour, the Cree once again proved themselves a formidable political force during Quebec’s referendum for independence in 1995. The GCC issued a legal paper titled Sovereign Injustice and organized its own referendum, with Crees overwhelmingly voting to stay in Canada.
“The Crees always stand on our rights,” Namagoose asserted. “Once you understand your rights and know how to defend them, nobody can knock you off. If you take a twig, you can snap it, but if you put nine twigs together you can’t break them.”
As governments finally realized they must make peace with the Cree, the Paix des Braves agreement was signed with Quebec in 2002 followed by the federal New Relationship Agreement in 2008. With that latter agreement and others expiring in 2028, current GCC executive director Davey Bobbish is continuing the path toward self-determination while seeking opportunities for the Nation’s young population.
“They were 20 years behind in the funding when we signed these agreements, so we were trying to get basic needs implemented like housing infrastructure,” Bobbish said. “We have to start shifting into economic development projects where people get involved more in job creation.”
The JBNQA remains the foundational document guiding the Cree Nation’s growth and will be the subject of a communications campaign over the next year, celebrating its development and flourishing results. Namagoose suggested Cree progress wouldn’t have been possible without the GCC.
“There’s not much confrontation now, but you always must be cautious to see what’s coming,” advised Namagoose. “A good leader sees what’s happening around them and knows how to resolve these issues, but the exceptional leader will see what’s coming over the horizon and prepare the people.”
by Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter