A First Nation-to-Nation embassy established for the Cree

The Cree Nation now has its own embassy in the heart of historic Québec City.

“We are working with the government of Quebec on various projects and we felt it was necessary that we establish an office here,” said Matthew Coon Come of Mistissini, Grand Chief of the Grand Council of Crees (Eeyou Istchee) since 2009.

Coon Come is now in his fifth mandate as leader of the Grand Council, and is a former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

“We call it a Cree embassy. It’s only right, because it’s a nation-to-nation relationship and we take that relationship very seriously,” added the leader of the 18,000 Cree in nine northern Quebec communities.

It is the Grand Council that rents the office building it has designated as an embassy. The Quebec Crees established its first embassy in Ottawa about 25 years ago as a meeting ground for federal government negotiations. The new Quebec City site is expected to serve a similar purpose on a provincial level. Each embassy is strategically located just blocks away from federal or provincial parliament buildings.

As a means of commemorating the 35th anniversary of the signing of the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement, Canada’s first modern treaty which also involved a provincial government, the Cree nation inaugurated the new headquarters at 200 Grande Allée in the presence of Coon Come, Quebec Premier Jean Charest, Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois, Quebec Native Affairs Minister Pierre Corbeil, former grand chief  of the Grand Council of Quebec Crees Ted Moses, who led the way for the signing of the Paix des braves agreement in 2002, and former minister John Ciaccia, who had represented the prime minister during the original negotiations.

“The officials of the grand council, that is the grand chief, the deputy grand chief, the executive director, our chief negotiator, and myself, assume the diplomatic relations with the Government of Quebec,” explained Romeo Saganash, director of Governmental Relations and International Affairs for the Grand Council of the Crees. “Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come has an office within the embassy.”

When the James Bay Agreement was signed, the Crees and Inuit of Northern Quebec were the first Aboriginal Nations to accept provisions for education and health and social services provided by Cree institutions set up under Quebec law.

Since the November 1975 signing, “the Cree have gained much experience and wish to further develop their nation from that milestone foundation,” added Saganash.

Presently, the Quebec government is developing its Plan Nord aimed at tapping the north for wind energy. The Cree are gearing up for Charest’s Plan Nord as a means to develop the economy in Quebec’s northern areas. Under that plan, Quebec expects to develop 300 MW of wind energy along with 3,000 MW of hydroelectric power.
“We are working hard together with the Cree on the Plan Nord,” said Minister Corbeil.

So is the embassy expected to be a permanent part of Quebec City?

“Yes,” said Saganash.

“The implementation of our numerous agreements with Quebec require that we maintain constant presence and relations.”

The Cree embassy significantly bears a trilingual Cree-French-English plaque at its high-security street entrance. Poised at a prestigious address in the provincial capital, it is steps away from Parliament and related government buildings which will allow it to be used for joint work tables for current negotiations.

Caption: Matthew Coon Come, Grand Chief of the Grand Council of Crees (Eeyou Istchee), and Quebec Premier Jean Charest cut the ribbon to open the new Cree embassy that will be the headquarters of negotiations in which the Grand Council and the province are engaged.