The Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) or the GCC(EI) (ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔅᒌ in

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

), is the political body that represents the approximately 20,000

people (who call themselves "Eeyou" or "Eenou" in the various dialects of

East Cree East Cree, also known as James Bay (Eastern) Cree, and East Main Cree, is a group of Cree dialects spoken in Quebec, Canada on the east coast of lower Hudson Bay and James Bay, and inland southeastward from James Bay. Cree is one of the most s ...

) of the territory called Eeyou Istchee ("The People's Land") in the

James Bay James Bay (, ; ) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. It borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and is politically part of Nunavut. Its largest island is Akimiski Island. Numerous waterways of the ...

and

Nunavik Nunavik (; ; ) is an area in Canada which comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of north of the 55th parallel, it is the homelan ...

regions of

Northern Quebec Northern Quebec () is a geographic term denoting the northerly, more remote and less populated parts of the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec.Alexandre Robaey"Charity group works with Indigenous communities to feed Northern Quebec's 'wandering dog ...

. The Grand Council has twenty members: a Grand Chief and Deputy-Grand Chief elected at large by the Cree people, the Chiefs elected by each of the ten communities, and one other representative from each community. The current Grand Chief Norman A. Wapachee assumed the role and responsibilities of Grand chief on March 31, 2025. With the current position of Deputy Grand Chief being vacant until Election are held which election date set for July 22, 2025. Later during the week of March 24th,

Mandy Gull-Masty Mandy Shana Gull is a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Cla ...

during a Board Council Meeting, she was asked by Chief Irene Neeposh of the Cree First Nation Of Waswanipi to reconsider her Nomination for the Candidacy of Liberal Candidate for

Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou (formerly known as Abitibi, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik and Nunavik—Eeyou) is a federal riding in the province of Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 19 ...

. And in a resolution passed

resigned on March 31st, 2025 beginning her campaign as a Liberal Candidate for the region. The Grand Council's head office is located in the Cree community of

Nemaska Nemaska (, meaning ''underwater point,'' but commonly associated with the word ''namesiskâw'', meaning ''many fish''.) is a small Cree community located on the shores of Lake Champion, in Quebec, Canada. It is a small Cree village with a populat ...

, with other offices and embassies in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

and

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

History

The Grand Council was formed in 1974 in response to the James Bay Cree hydroelectric conflict, which had already been underway since 1971. When the

James Bay Project The James Bay Project () involves the construction of a series of hydroelectricity, hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Quebec, Canada by government-owned corporation, state-owned public utility, utility Hydro-Qué ...

was first announced, Eeyou Istchee was still governed by a traditional political structure. That political structure was organized to exploit the resources of Eeyou Istchee by their traditional way of life. The land of Eeyou Istchee was divided into smaller territories, each headed by a leader or "ucimâu", that were resource management units and a means of distributing the Eeyou people over a vast territory. So the Crees organized themselves at a council of Cree leaders to represent their rights at the negotiations between the Cree Nation and the Quebec and Canadian governments, which led to the signing of the

James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement () is an Aboriginal land claim settlement, approved in 1975 by the Cree and Inuit of northern Quebec, and later slightly modified in 1978 by the Northeastern Quebec Agreement (), through which Quebec's ...

in November 1975. On July 24, 2012, the Quebec government signed an accord with the Eeyou Nation that would result in the abolition of the municipality of Baie-James and the creation of a new regional government, the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government.

Cree Nation Government

The Cree Nation Government (Gouvernement de la nation crie, ᐄᓅᑎᐯᔨᐦᒋᒉᓲ, ᐄᔨᔫᑎᐯᔨᐦᒋᒉᓲ) formed in 1978 under the name (CRA) and serves as the administrative authority of the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee and provides programs and services to its communities. The CRA is responsible for environmental protection and is also the legal body representing the nation to provincial and federal administrations. While the CNG is a separate legal entity from the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee), they have identical membership, board of directors, governing structures and are de facto managed and operated as one organization by the Cree Nation. An accord signed between the Cree Nation and the Quebec government on July 24, 2012, called for the status and name of the Cree Regional Authority to be changed to the Cree Nation Government. The Cree Nation Government currently has 309 employees.

Eeyou Eenou Police Force

Founded in 2011, the Eeyou Eenou Police Force (EEPF) operates under the administration of the Cree Nation Government and covers the entirety of the Eeyou Istchee territory. It has regional detachments in nine of the Cree Communities in Quebec with the headquarters being in Chisasibi.

Political developments

The Grand Council of the Crees has been active in asserting the right of the Cree Nation to determine their own future, in the event that Quebec secedes from Canada. In October 1995, the Grand Council issued a "Message regarding the rights of the Crees and other Aboriginal Peoples of Canada", which stated, in part: A few days prior to the October 30, 1995, province-wide referendum on secession from Canada, the Grand Council facilitated a referendum within Eeyou Istchee on the question of whether the Crees should be authorized to separate from an independent Quebec, in order to remain part of Canada. Over 96% of participating voters chose to remain in Canada. Grand Chief Matthew Mukash is considered a traditionalist and fought against the Great Whale hydroelectric project in the 1990s, alongside the Grand Chiefs

Matthew Coon Come Matthew Coon Come (born April 13, 1956) is a Canadian politician and activist of Cree descent. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2000 to 2003. Born near Mistissini, Quebec, Coon Come was first educated at LaTuque Ind ...

and

Billy Diamond Billy Diamond (May 19, 1949 – September 30, 2010) was the Chief of the Waskaganish, Quebec Cree from 1970 to 1976, the Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees from 1974 to 1984, and a successful businessman who founded Air Creebec. Diamon ...

. In 2002, he opposed the signing of the

Agreement Respecting a New Relationship Between the Cree Nation and the Government of Quebec The Agreement Respecting a New Relationship Between the Cree Nation and the Government of Quebec (dubbed as the , French for "Peace of the Braves" by the Parti Québécois government) is an agreement between the Government of Quebec, Canada, ...

(''Paix des Braves''), a comprehensive 50 year political and economic agreement with the Government of Quebec, and as well as the 2002 and 2004 agreements with

Hydro-Québec Hydro-Québec () is a Canadian Crown corporations of Canada#Quebec, Crown corporation public utility headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It manages the electricity generation, generation, electric power transmission, transmission and electricity ...

on the joint development of the hydroelectric resources of the Rupert River. Elected in late 2005 as Grand Chief, in replacement of Ted Moses, Matthew Mukash is opposed to the Rupert River Diversion which is undergoing joint Quebec-Cree environmental assessment since 2004. Mukash has advocated with the Government of Quebec and Hydro-Québec to pursue wind power as an alternative source of economic development and energy. His other main political goals are to prepare a constitution, build sovereignty, encourage nation-building, and move Cree leadership back to Eeyou Istchee from

and

Grand Chiefs

* Norman A. Wapachee, 2025-present *

, 2021-2025 *

Abel Bosum Abel Bosum (born Nov. 4, 1955) is a Cree leader and negotiator who, as of 2019, is serving as Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees of Northern Quebec (Eeyou Istchee) and President of the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government. He ...

, 2017–2021 *

Matthew Mukash Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

, 2005-2009 *

, 1987-1999 and 2009-2017 * Ted Moses, 1984-1987 and 1999-2005 *

, 1974-1984

Deputy Grand Chiefs

*Vacant, 2025-present * Norman A. Wapachee, 2021-2025 *

, 2017-2021 * Rodney Mark, 2013-2017 * Ashely Iserhoff, 2005-2009 and 2009-2013 * Paul Gull, 2002-2005 *

, 1999-2002 * Voilet Pachanos, 1996-1999 * Kenny Blacksmith, 1993-1996 *

Romeo Saganash Diom Roméo Saganash (born October 28, 1961) is a Cree lawyer and former politician from Canada. Saganash served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou in Quebec from 2011 to 2019. A member of the New Democr ...

, 1990-1993 * George Wapachee, 1988-1990 * Philip Awashish, 1974-1988

Eeyou communities of the Grand Council

Chisasibi Chisasibi (; meaning Great River) is a village and Classification of municipalities in Quebec#Aboriginal local municipal units, Cree reserved land (TC) on the eastern shore of James Bay, in Eeyou Istchee, an equivalent territory (ET) in Nord-d ...

Eastmain Eastmain (; ) is a Cree community located on the east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is a small coastal Cree village with a population of 924 people in the 2021 Canadian Census up from 866 people at ...

Mistissini Mistissini ( meaning Big Rock) is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini. The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality and is the second largest Cree community ...

– seat of the GCCEI and CNG (CRA) * Oujé-Bougoumou *

Waskaganish Waskaganish (/, Little House; ) is a Cree community of over 2,500 people at the mouth of the Rupert River on the south-east shore of James Bay in Nord-du-Québec, Canada. Waskaganish is part of the territory referred to as " Eeyou Istchee" ( ...

* Waswanipi *

Wemindji Wemindji () is a small Cree community on the east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Maquatua River in Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Cree Nation of Wemindji. The community is located within the federal riding of Abitibi—Baie-Ja ...

Whapmagoostui Whapmagoostui (, "place of the beluga") is the northernmost Cree village in Quebec, Canada, located at the mouth of the Great Whale River () on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik. About 906 Cree with about 650 Inuit, living in the neighbourin ...

* Washaw Sibi Eeyou

References

* July 2007 population figures were obtained from the

Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay The Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (CBHSSJB) is responsible for delivering health and social services in the Cree territory of Northern Quebec, Canada. The Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay comes from the ...

External links

Grand Council of the Crees official websiteLa Paix des Braves
(Agreement concerning a new relationship between the Government of Quebec and the Crees of Quebec)
Agreement with Hydro-Québec
(2004)
Canadian Geographic
{{Authority control First Nations governments in Quebec Cree governments Eeyou Istchee (territory) Legislatures of country subdivisions