36 business elite canada
H
MAY 2018
are not accountable to the Minister of
Indian Affairs, but to the Cree Nation
Government. Our communities are,
by and large, in a much better state
than most First Nations communities
across the country.
BEC: How, in your region of northern
Quebec, have you been able to secure
a recognition of Indigenous rights?
GC:
Securing that recognition of both
our Indigenous rights and our specifi-
cally Cree rights has not been easy.
It has taken us over four decades to
get where we are today. It has taken
difficult struggles which we waged in
the courts, in the court of public opin-
ion and on the ground. Throughout
all this time we have remained com-
mitted to the belief that our rights are
central and foundational to who we
are as Indigenous people, and keep-
ing that focus has been the key to
our successes. And we know that we
must always remain vigilant and alert
to any efforts to erode or minimize
our rights as we continue into the fu-
ture. Our rights have been central to
our past and they will remain central
for us into the future.
BEC: How do you think that your suc-
cessful experiences in northern Que-
bec can be replicated throughout the
country?
GC:
Every region of the country, of
course, has its own set of particular
circumstances, and the ways in which
Traditional activities Eeyou Istchee preparing hid
