Ghislain Picard is an

Innu The Innu/Ilnu ('man, person'), formerly called Montagnais (French for ' mountain people'; ), are the Indigenous Canadians who inhabit northeastern Labrador in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to ...

politician and activist, and is a former Chief of the

Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (, AFNQL) is a political organization representing the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador. It represents these First Nations to the ''Secrétariat aux affaires autochtones du Québec'' and to the m ...

from 1992 to 2025. He speaks

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Biography

Picard was born in

Pessamit Pessamit (formerly Betsiamites, or Bersimis), is a First Nations reserve and Innu community in the Canadian province of Quebec, located about southwest from Baie-Comeau along the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Betsi ...

, an Innu community in the

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada. The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...

region of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

on the North shore of the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

. He had a brief stint in the federal public service in 1978 before receiving an offer from the Council of the

Atikamekw The Atikamekw are an Indigenous people in Canada. Their historic territory, ('Our Land'), is in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec (about north of Montreal). One of the main communities is Manawan, about northeast of Montreal. ...

and

Montagnais The Innu/Ilnu ('man, person'), formerly called Montagnais (French for 'mountain people'; ), are the Indigenous Canadians who inhabit northeastern Labrador in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to t ...

where he held various communications roles until 1983. In 1983 he co-founded the , an Indigenous radio broadcasting organisation. In 1989, he was elected vice president of the Council of the Atikamekw and Montagnais. Picard was first elected regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations for the Quebec and Labrador regions in January 1992 and was quickly thrust into negotiations of the

Charlottetown Accord The Charlottetown Accord () was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canada, Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendums in Canada, referendum on October ...

. He co-authoured the book ''De Kebec à Québec : cinq siècles d'échanges entre nous'' in collaboration with Denis Bouchard and Éric Cardinal about Quebec's historical relationship with indigenous people. In 2014 Picard served briefly as interim chief of the

Assembly of First Nations The Assembly of First Nations (, AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations ( Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood ...

. He also wrote the preface to the biography of Quebec politician

Manon Massé Manon Massé (born 22 May 1963) is a Canadian politician in Quebec and was one of co-spokespersons for Québec solidaire from 2017 to 2023. She has represented Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques in the National Assembly of Quebec since the 2014 ...

in 2018. Picard has been an outspoken critic of the Francois Legault government for their refusal to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism in Quebec and their ignorance to Indigenous issues. In the fall of 2023 it was announced that Picard would be joining

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

as an expert-in-residence for a period of two years and would also be co-teaching a graduate course in the MA in Public Policy and Public Administration program (MPPPA). In December 2024 he announced that he would not seek reelection for another mandate as Chief of the AFNQL citing a desire to leave it to the next generation and go out on his own terms and to relax and spend time with his family. He was replaced as chief by his chief of staff Francis Verreault-Paul of

Mashteuiatsh Mashteuiatsh is a First Nations reserve in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, about north from the centre of Roberval. It is the home to the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation. It is located on a headland jutting out on the w ...

Awards

* Named a Citizen of Honour of the City of Montréal in 2017. * Appointed as a Knight to the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

in 2003. * Earned the second prize for the president of the National Assembly's award for the book ''De Kebec à Québec : cinq siècles d'échanges entre nous'' in 2009. * Awarded the Medal of the National Assembly in 2009.

Publications

* * * *

Notes

Council of the Atikamekw and Montagnais was the first permanent group representing First Nations in Quebec

References

External links