The program, offered through Concordia’s Student Success Centre, allows eligible Indigenous students seeking these prerequisites to enroll at Concordia. Upon completion of the Bridging Program, students automatically move into their chosen undergraduate degree without needing to reapply. Credits gained during the Bridging Program go towards this degree, meaning students are one step closer to graduation once they begin their undergraduate courses.

Aimed at increasing Indigenous representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs, the Bridging Program began by offering pathways into Concordia’s Bachelor of Engineering. Since then, the program expanded to include bridges into commerce and psychology. Starting in 2025, Indigenous students interested in journalism and all science programs will be able to apply.  

Saba Din, program coordinator of the Kaié:ri Nikawerà:ke Indigenous Bridging Program, is excited to see the program continue to grow.  

“We’ll also keep refining program supports and identifying opportunities that build confidence and empower Indigenous students throughout their journey,” said Din. “This means creating more pathways for success, fostering a strong sense of community, and providing the tools and resources students need to succeed not only at university, but to build their careers and make meaningful contributions to their communities.” 

To help with the transition into undergraduate studies, bridging students follow university skills courses designed by Concordia’s Student Success Centre. They also participate in events at the Otsenhákta Student Centre – Concordia’s on-campus resource for Indigenous students. Students can receive additional support through a weekly Indigenous-led seminar that addresses individual needs, whether academic, social, cultural or spiritual. 

The creation of the Kaié:ri Nikawerà:ke Indigenous Bridging Program is one of many steps outlined in Concordia’s Indigenous Directions Action Plan, a document which provides concrete actions to decolonize and indigenize the university. 

Earlier this year, Concordia announced a tuition waiver for all First Nations and Inuit students whose territories are in Quebec.

“Through the tuition waiver and the Bridging Program, Concordia is working to remove barriers to education and provide ongoing support throughout students’ journeys at the university, helping ensure they feel valued, supported and empowered to succeed,” Din explained.

“Kaié:ri Nikawerà:ke” is a Kanien’kéha term that translates to “the four winds” or “the four directions.” The program was named by Katsistohkwí:io Jacco, who is Kanien’kehá:ka and part of the Bear Clan, to honour the local territories and their ancestral language.

The winds represent a shift in the natural world, promoting the growth and rebirth of plant life. It is also a nod to Concordia’s four faculties, recognizing that students come from many different directions. Finally, it symbolizes the directions that students may take after their degree.  

“Students can apply what they’ve learned to contribute to their communities’ growth and development,” said Din. “Ultimately, I hope this program contributes to a more equitable higher education system by addressing systemic barriers that Indigenous peoples have faced historically.” 

Students can apply for the Kaié:ri Nikawerà:ke Indigenous Bridging Program at concordia.ca/apply. Applications close on March 1 for the 2025-2026 school year. To learn more, information sessions are offered year-round. Register at concordia.ca/virtualevents.

Peltier was convicted of the murders of two FBI agents, Ronald A. Carter and Jack R. Coler, after a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on June 26, 1975. At the time Peltier was a member of the American Indian Movement. Partially modelled on the Black Panthers, AIM organized protests and armed occupations to defend Indigenous rights and demands.

After the killings on the Jumping Bull family ranch, Peltier fled to Canada and was later arrested near Hinton, Alberta. Two months later he was extradited back to the Unted States to stand trial. Amidst much controversy he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

Over the years scores of people across the world protested his conviction, citing coerced testimony and false evidence. People such as Nelson Mandela, Rigoberta Menchu, the Dalai Lama, actor Robert Redford, folk singer Pete Seeger, Jackson Brown and organizations like Amnesty International have all called for Peltier’s release.

His son Chauncey Peltier said after the news, “It means my dad finally gets to go home. One of the biggest rights violation cases in history and one of the longest-held political prisoners in the United States. And he gets to go home finally. Man, I can’t explain how I feel.”

But Peltier will not be free. After he is released, he will serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest, possibly at his sister’s home in Fargo, North Dakota, or on the Turtle Mountain reservation. 

Not everyone in Indian Country is in the mood to celebrate Peltier’s release from prison. The daughters of the late Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, who was a Mi’kmaq activist from Nova Scotia and a member of AIM, were surprised by the news. Denise Pictou Maloney, in an APTN interview, said they found the news “devastating.”

In 1976, Aquash’s body was found on the Pine Ridge Reservation with a bullet hole in the back of her head. Certain AIM leaders thought she might have been an FBI informant. Her daughters maintain that Peltier was complicit in her murder as someone who had interrogated Aquash while shoving a gun in her mouth and who might have ordered her slain. They also believe he could have testified in court about the case and revealed the ones responsible for their mother’s murder.

Pictou Maloney said Peltier “knew about what happened to my mom and at least was complicit and obstructed justice by not saying anything for 28 years.”

In 2024, the Assembly of First Nations rescinded a 1987 resolution demanding Peltier’s extradition back to Canada, and a 1999 resolution demanding the activist be freed.

Peltier, who is 80 years old, is in poor health suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and is partially blind and wheelchair bound.

“Let me say that it is without prejudice of any specific person that I tell my story,” Cooper told the Nation. “It’s more me that’s annoyed for being ignored by the forestry company. It’s been two years, and we still haven’t gotten anywhere – I froze my foot and I’m about to lose another toe.”

On the frigid morning of January 3, 2022, Cooper went out in search of dry wood to warm his cabin in the bush, where he spends up to 240 days a year. He is responsible for trapline W-16, 60 km north of Waswanipi, where he loves taking grandchildren for boat rides and hunting excursions.

With sled and chainsaw, he took his snowmobile that day to an open area recently cut by Mishtuk Corporation, a band-owned company – of which Cooper was the first director general in 1984. Heading back for lunch around noon, he took a 9-km ride to check on the logging site.

Coming over a hill, it was clear the loggers hadn’t respected his request to not cross a trail used by ancestors to access the trapline’s southwest side. Attempting to navigate between a gravel pit and sloping hill as he investigated further, a snow-drift forced his snowmobile into an eight-foot hole.

After trying for hours to extricate his machine, Cooper realized the sun was setting. Since he’d left his snowshoes where he was cutting firewood, he was forced to trudge back through three feet of snow armed with just a packsack and thermos of tea when the temperature was minus-28.

“It was cold as hell,” recalled Cooper. “The north wind was coming in off the swamp really hard and I kept walking. Finally, around 9 o’clock I was halfway across my destination. When I see my camp, I’m really happy. I was tired, burned out, freezing cold.”

Alarmed at his frozen face, his worried wife quickly roared the fire, made hot tea and removed his icy boots. After trying a few days to thaw out his foot and recover, Cooper returned to the community for medical help. His brothers came to free the skidoo – it took six men.

“About a week later, my family members came to see me and said this wouldn’t have happened if they respected the consultations about not crossing the trail,” said Cooper. “My sister said your whole livelihood is in the bin and you’re our providing hunter. Now we’re going to lose you – sue their ass.”

With Cree Nation Government people taking pictures for a report and Mishtuk’s president immediately suggesting an out-of-court settlement, Chief Irene Neeposh directed the band lawyer to draft an agreement-in-principle, seeking an amiable solution that protected other tallymen from such situations.

However, Mishtuk responded to Cooper by saying that the company was unaware of the incident and to expect a call from their lawyer. When a meeting was eventually arranged, there was no willingness to accept the proposed settlement but only a complaint about Cooper’s family who had apparently pleaded his case.

“I had the impression he was trying to make it an internal conflict within the family,” Cooper said. “I came to Montreal to see another lawyer for a second opinion, a firm very well known by the Crees. He said we represent a lot of Cree companies, and our firm does not go against any Cree – we can’t handle your case.”

Heading back north for medical visits, specialists and therapies, Cooper’s inquiries to Mishtuk went unanswered. Staggering from special shoes and a cane to balance his walk, a woman hollered out her window: “Johnny, stop drinking!” His right foot’s nerves are damaged, a toe is turning black and, newly sensitive to the cold, he can no longer snowshoe.

Browsing through past consultation meeting minutes and mappings, the conciliator had assured there were “certain access roads to be modified to prevent problematic crossings over traditional trapline trails.” While the ribbon line for loggers to follow ended before the trail when Cooper checked in autumn, the ribbons had changed when he returned in winter.

“They just kept going, wrecked my trail, built a road over it,” lamented the 69-year-old tallyman. “It can’t be a human error. The people they hired are given maps with areas of interest. If there’s no ribbon there they just keep going. It was too late; the machines had already completed the thing.”

Although nearly all Waswanipi tallymen have grievances over disrespected forestry agreements, the bureaucracy involved with the provincial forestry board makes litigation more challenging. Cooper is well aware that the 2002 Paix des Braves agreement included a settlement with forestry companies – he was the official translator during those negotiations.

Mishtuk, on the other hand, was not included in the agreement. Cooper knows of another tallyman who successfully took them to court. While he hasn’t yet pursued the case with another lawyer, but he said if media attention doesn’t work then he’ll have no choice.

A Mishtuk spokesperson said that these are only allegations and had no further comment.

“I’m treading very lightly with this thing for community respect,” explained Cooper. “I respect these people, but they don’t seem to have respect for me. Even the former Chief said, ‘Johnny, you waited too long. Just go to court. If they wait that long, they don’t respect you.’”

A gifted singer-songwriter whose “Bless Me Now” video has 71,000 views, Cooper is reflective about the sad turn his life has taken. Still puzzled by why the consultations weren’t respected, Cooper questioned the communication lapses that repeatedly ignore tallyman wishes.

“This is my last resort,” shared Cooper. “There is no new horizon for me. I’ve seen all kinds of things happen. If this is the only way some people will understand, let it be so.”

Community councillor Steven Polson told the CBC that the past four years have seen a spike in impaired driving, vandalism, arson, burglary and substance abuse because police respond only during the day.

“People know cops don’t come around on evenings or nights or weekends,” said Polson. “We just phone and phone and phone and then they say, ‘Oh, we’re on our way, we’re on our way.’ But they don’t show up until the next day.”

Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, noted the “community is taking matters in its own hands” by creating a four-member foot patrol that works from 11pm to 7am. 

“Obviously it cannot be a permanent solution,” Picard added. “Quebec or the SQ or both are not living up to their end of the bargain.”

Former LPFN Chief Steeve Mathias had long pressured Quebec for a solution. Two years ago, the province proposed to conduct a feasibility study on establishing a local police force, promising to send him a letter this past summer to detail their plans. It quickly became apparent that Quebec had not engaged in any talks with the federal government. 

“They are leaving us to the mercy of bureaucracy,” said Mathias. “I find that disrespectful and very negligent.” 

Mathias said then-Quebec public security minister Geneviève Guilbault should have personally intervened. A spokesperson for Guilbault said a plan is in the works to establish Indigenous policing in the area and that “the file has not fallen through a crack; it is in the process of being worked on.”  

In 2021, Quebec announced a rapid response team initiative for the LPFN community. Recent promises echoed by officials such as Guilbault have felt as mere compromises toward a community that has been pressing to have their own police force for years on end. 

During the initial inquiries, former Chief Mathias had cited an incident in which a young man in crisis fired a gun in front of the community school during the evening hours. With no police response, civilians removed children from the neighbourhood, prevented people from using the street and confronted the man to convince him to give up his weapon. 

“These people are not trained,” Mathias stressed. He said it was fortunate the situation was resolved without violence before the SQ’s eventual arrival. 

Current Chief Henry Rodgers says that residents are telling him they are afraid to walk around the community and of being targeted if they try to intervene in incidents.

François Bonnardel, Quebec’s current minister of public security, and Ian Lafrenière, the provincial minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit, said in a joint statement that the situation is “worrying”, but that they have confidence in the police.

According to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) was granted a licence to construct a near surface disposal facility (NSDF) at the Chalk River site in May 2016, with the purpose to dispose radioactive waste and “isolate it from people and the environment.”

However, the disposal facility reached non-compliance in sewage effluent which raised a number of questions, claims Ottawa Riverkeeper, a citizen-based action group which promotes ecological health for the Ottawa River watershed.

“The proposed NSDF project at Chalk River poses immediate and severe environmental, health and cultural risks to the communities living east of the Ottawa River, including both First Nations and Québécois,” reads an open letter from Indigenous leaders to Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette.

Looking into the failure, Environment Canada issued a directive last April, saying it “takes pollution incidents and threats to the environment seriously.” However, CNL reported it is “confident that the non-compliant discharge from the sewage treatment facility does not pose a threat to the environment or the public.”

Ottawa Riverkeeper became aware of this issue as part of its participation in Chalk River’s Environmental Stewardship Council.

At Council meeting in March, the Riverkeeper’s team requested additional information about the NSDP non-compliance report.

“The facts we know at this time are that, back in February 2024, the effluent from Chalk River’s sanitary plant failed an acute toxicity test, which automatically triggers a type of investigation that happens,” said Larissa Holman, Director of Science and Policy at Ottawa Riverkeeper.

She believes there is a variety of waste stored at the site that poses a danger to the river. There is a waste mound located a few hundred metres from the river, and the effluent from the plant will be discharged into Perch Lake, which drains into the Ottawa River.

In response to concerns, CNL reported that “the criteria for what waste is allowed at the site has been narrowed to only low-level radioactive waste as opposed to low- and intermediate-level waste in the initial proposal,” an Ottawa Riverkeeper report of toxic sewage from Chalk River reads.

CNL Media Relations told The Nation in an email statement that with its “very modern” sewage plant, CNL “remains confident that the sewage treatment plant effluent at Chalk River Laboratories has had no detrimental impact on fish in the Ottawa River.”

Yet CNL has never released information about the reasons for the failure, and many questions remain, Holman said. 

“They didn’t have a lot of info at that time,” she stated. “Our concern is that despite the fact that they were providing information, they were not providing specific details.

“In this particular case they were not passing the compliance test,” she added. “There was something malfunctioning in the treatment process and we hope that this incident will impel CNL to report failures more quickly and more transparently.”

In her opinion, the Canadian government is responsible for regulating this facility. “All the licenses at the Chalk River Laboratories are made through the Canadian initiative commission, and CNL is funded by the government,” she explained. “But in this case with the non-compliance of the wastewater treatment facility, Environment Canada stepped in… it can potentially cause harm to fish and sea habitants.”

Although the CNL announcement on December 4 says it “achieved emissions reduction of 51% from 2005 levels at the Chalk River site,” Holman still questions whether they are keeping the waste out of the municipal landfills. 

“And what about an experimental reactor that is on site and came offline because there was a number of issues with it?” she asked. “And how much is this going to be very open in steps taken to keep the environment safe?”

Holman aims to draw attention to what is happening at these facilities and along the Ottawa River, which is over 1,200 km long. “There needs to be a strong voice that speaks on behalf of the river and the organisms that live in that diverse system,” she said.

The Algonquin community of Kebaowek and local groups are challenging a CNSC decision in court to protect the Ottawa River from a nuclear waste disposal facility. 

However, industry and the government are evading seeking the consent of Indigenous nations for projects that destroy their territory, said Kebaowek councillor and economic development director Justin Roy.

He says the government is not only disrespecting the environment but also violating the principles of reconciliation outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

“Kebaowek members were not able to go on site during our own Indigenous-led environmental assessment,” he said. “No other community has had access to this site.”

In July, Kebaowek filed for a judicial review against CNL in Federal Court in Ottawa, yet no judgment has been received.

Roy pointed out the location would receive over a million cubic metres of nuclear waste. This would have a direct impact on water quality, animals and plants in the watershed, while threatening a source of drinking water for millions of people in Quebec and Ontario.

“They talk about the mound lasting 300 or 500 years, but whatever is left in the amount after that time is still going be there,” he said. “So, what happens to the mound at that point in time?” 

Roy says communities were not consulted on the project early enough, and that CNSC should bring all the stakeholders to the table to create a better and long-lasting solution. 

For the last five years, dozens of letters expressing concern have been sent to the federal and provincial governments, numerous ministries, and even to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Roy said.

Although federal environment minister Steven Guilbeault is open to improvements after Indigenous leaders raised concerns, there has been no action, and “it seems worse,” Roy said. 

“One big solution that can help tackle a lot of the problems is if regulators [the federal government, provincial governments and nuclear industry] got more proactive in adopting articles under UNDRIP into their work,” Roy said.

“We are appreciative that Agnico Eagle was willing to work with our community regarding the historic Kirkland Lake Macassa Mine site,” said Beaverhouse Chief Wayne Wabie. “They carried on the legacy of previous owners when they took ownership of this mine site, and they came to the table to work with us on this milestone agreement.”

The opening and closing prayers were conducted by Elder Sally Susan Mathias, a past Chief who was involved in negotiations leading to the IBA signing. 

“This agreement demonstrates our commitment in sustainable development and in respecting the First Nations that are part of the territory where we operate,” said Agnico Eagle vice president Andre Leite. “We want to focus on sustainability and in ensuring that our relationships with First Nations are based on respect and trust.”

The community was represented by lead negotiator John Kim Bell of Bell and Bernard Limited, a research and consulting firm that specializes in relations between First Nations, corporations and governments. Bell is a well-known Canadian Indigenous leader and activist in the arts, philanthropy and First Nation resource development. 

“I can sense that we are moving towards more modern, respectful and positive relationships with the industry, in this case with Agnico Eagle and we are very grateful for this partnership,” stated Bell. “This is so meaningful for the community because it diversifies and increases their revenues. This is life changing for Beaverhouse and it launches them to another level. We are all very happy with the outcome.”

Bell is highly regarded in the industry, having negotiated many agreements both for First Nations and corporations. 

“We put together a team of great environmental and legal experts as well as a mining analyst who deeply understands the mine’s economics,” commented Bell. “Together we formed a unit that represented Beaverhouse very well on consultation, mitigation, environmental and other issues as well as the compensation. I’m very proud of the team.” 

The agreement is significant as this is the first major resource development agreement signed by Beaverhouse, which achieved federal recognition in May 2022. The community was not originally included in the creation of the Treaty 9 signing between government and Indigenous people in northern Ontario in 1905-06. 

The lack of official First Nation recognition made it difficult for Beaverhouse leadership to develop social, health, education and administrative activities for its membership. 

“This is an historic event for our community,” stated Wabie. “This signing is another recognition of our people’s rights to these lands, and we want to thank our community members, past leaders and more importantly our past and present Elders who have always stood for Beaverhouse First Nation. If it weren’t for our ancestors who are part of this territory, we would not have had a leg to stand on to push for a major agreement such as this IBA.”

The IBA is set to provide the community with training, employment and business opportunities as well as financial compensation. 

“This will place our people on a good footing and foundation for the future in terms of proper training and opportunities to work in the industry” said Wabie. “The royalties and revenues that will be generated will also provide additional support services for our membership.”

The Cree Trappers’ Association and Cree Nation Government worked hard to inventory burnt cabins for each community – not only to assess damages, but to design a reconstruction plan. Preliminary information revealed that few cabins were properly insured, and that trappers would need financial help to rebuild the cabins they lost.

Partners on the land also witnessed the devastation. Normand Champigny, Chief Executive Officer of Quebec Precious Metals Corporation, a gold and lithium exploration company in the territory, saw it firsthand.

“In the fall of 2023, I flew for over 30 minutes by helicopter in the Wemindji and Eastmain areas and all I could see was burnt land and burnt cabins. The devastation was impressive, and extensive, and it struck me that we as partners and guests on the land had to do something,” Champigny told the recent Québec Mines + Énergie meeting in Quebec City.

With Jacynthe Lafond, external relations coordinator of Newmont Eleonore, the two are launching an ambitious fundraising initiative from companies operating in Eeyou Istchee to help speed reconstruction of destroyed cabins. 

The Reconstruction Initiative Forest Fires Fund (RIFFF) started as a modest way for mining companies to contribute to the effort, but the support has exceeded expectations.

“Almost everyone I spoke to agreed there was a need to help Cree hunters on the land. It was an easy sell from there to get their company involved,” said Champigny. 

Newmont Éléonore immediately set the tone with a $50,000 contribution to the fund. 

“When you work in Eeyou Istchee, you develop a sense of pride, even a sense of community,” explained Lafond. “We see hunters on the land all the time, so we could understand how difficult it would be to see the land and the cabins burnt. We could not stand aside – we had to help.”

Before long, added Champigny, several companies willing to help, but they needed an independent administrator. 

“After speaking with various Cree in Eeyou Istchee, we asked the Cree Hunters Economic Security Board [CHESB], an organization with a solid reputation, to administer the monies that would be raised,” he said.

At a meeting in Montreal, Champigny explained the initiative to CHESB representatives. At their board meeting the same day, CHESB members unanimously passed a motion to be the fund’s independent administrator and to inject $400,000 into the effort.

The RIFFF is a partnership between the CHESB,the mining industry and the Eeyou Istchee communities. Starting in 2025, the fund will help pay for the reconstruction of burnt cabins and complement the work underway by the CRA on the most impacted traplines. The CRA has been dealing with the issue ever since the fires started, and although they were able to gather some funds, the needs are larger than the resources, and without cabins, hunters cannot occupy the land. 

Allan House, Chief Financial Officer at the CRA, stated, “Eeyou culture and language are strongly connected when our people are out on the land of Eeyou Istchee. Having a place/home in the heart of Eeyou Istchee is an essential need for our people. Our hunting grounds are our home.”

According to the information collected by the CNG’s Forestry Department, 11% of the land and nearly 60% of the traplines were affected by the fires. 

“I am delighted that the CHESB and so many companies have agreed to contribute to this initiative,” said Champigny. “We hope that many other organizations will contribute.”

Currently, the CHESB has $400,000 to fund rebuilding efforts and provide administrative support. From the industry side, Newmont Éléonore will contribute $50,000 and another 16 other companies have each pledged $20,000, for a total so far of $770,000.

Jamie Moses, the Cree Nation’s first language commissioner, opened the forum by sharing his experience of learning Cree – by listening to his grandfather recount legends and stories each evening.

“Our Elders and their experience are valuable resources for the new generation,” Moses said. 

Moses noted that the last survey on the status of Cree language was in 1989, and he worries that new data coming in 2025 will show diminished numbers of people who are fluent.

“We must act on the health of our language,” Moses insisted. At the same time, he believes the tone of the language discussion should change.

“At conferences and gatherings, we always talk about the number [of speakers] declining and blame the problem on our kids,” he said. “But we need to start suggesting ideas on how to overcome these challenges. We need to engage in partnerships and collaborate.”

Keynote speaker Lorna Williams, Professor Emeritus of Indigenous Education at the University of Victoria, is a Lil’wat of the St’at’yem’c First Nation at Mount Currie in British Columbia. Williams talked about her experience developing the first curriculum for teaching Ucwalmícwts, the language of her people.

Involved in community activities for 60 years, Williams was working on a dictionary for Ucwalmícwts when she understood something “so powerful and so beautiful.”

“I could see the beauty of the variations of our language, the predictability of the changes and the nuances,” she explained. “Rather than being fearful of this diversity, we could see that we don’t have to be afraid. Our people are comfortable with variations.”

Williams believes every language articulates the values, the philosophy and the relationships that define a people. But the pressure of colonial governments to separate Indigenous people from their languages and their knowledge remains powerful.

“The motivation has to be really thought through,” she told the Nation. “That is part of what the forum is about – to come up with inspiring ways to promote the language in the community and the family. People have to overcome a lot to keep their languages alive.”

To regenerate the use of a language, Williams suggests it is important to have a community plan. First, by assessing where members are with their language, and what they want from it. 

“Those who come up with a long-term strategic plan need to be very aware of the position of their language within the framework of this colonized country – its relation to English and French.”

Williams underlines the role of residential schools in eradicating Indigenous culture. Because of that history, to revitalize a particular language it is necessary to use it in every part of family and community life. And “from the government side – they have work to do.”

“Indigenous languages get very little support from the federal government,” Williams said. “Not too many provinces support Indigenous languages, there needs to be an arm that really works on funding and securing resources.”

According to the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, she noted, the Cree language is comparatively strong and encouraged, and people are using it.

Cree School Board chairperson Sarah Pashagumskum said she believes Cree cultural and language programs are directly related to student success. 

The CSB serves over 4,000 students in kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools, Pashagumskum noted, saying it is the Board’s responsibility to provide the cultural and language education that helps young people build their identity. 

“This past year we implemented a new program in pre-kindergarten to improve proficiency in the Cree language,” she explained. “That program includes Elders in the classrooms, who work as mentors for teachers and as language supports for the students in early grades.”

For the Cree language to thrive, Pashagumskum says it is important to evaluate available resources and the clientele they can reach.

“That includes reaching out to community members, to parents, and the families of the students we serve to find out what we can do to support them in maintaining the Cree language within their homes,” she emphasized.

“For young people, it really is an important consideration. Students’ empowerment through focusing on identity is a success factor in the school, and those students are more likely to be successful if they have firm grounding in who they are, if they feel secure in their language and in their ability to use it.”

“My favourite part of working for Cree youth regionally is seeing how one idea becomes a big reality,” shared CNYC special projects coordinator Tania Richmond. “I remember a youth passing a resolution at the CNYC AGA in 2023 requesting an MOU. Here it is being signed today as a commitment to work together to support student youth councils. The future gets brighter the more we empower our current young leaders now!”

The agreement will enable the CSB to better understand the services and improvements needed by youth, encouraging the development of customized resources for nurturing student success. CNYC Grand Chief Adrian Gunner took the stage with CSB chairperson Sarah Pash, who highlighted the importance of bringing Cree culture to students far from home.

“Speaking as a person who was a postsecondary student with a young family myself, it’s really difficult to take your family out of the community and know they’re missing out on important culture and language experiences,” said Pash. “I’ve enjoyed seeing our students hosted at the teepee project in Kahnawake and we’ve been looking at finding land where we could put up a mitchuap or shaptuan for students to have a little taste of home.” 

After Quebec’s Bill 96 imposed challenging French requirements in the province’s CEGEPs, Pash has met with the education minister to push for an exemption for Cree students while introducing more French language instruction to postsecondary preparation programs. The CSB has also been exploring how to help graduates successfully transition to Eeyou Istchee. 

“We know for students who have been living independently, it’s very hard to move back to a home that’s already overcrowded and might feel like a step backward,” Pash told Winschgaoug radio. “We’ve put into place a policy that allows graduated students hired into a position at the CSB to put them into CSB housing in their own communities.”

Numerous Cree entities and organizations hosted information tables at the Montreal event with presentations showing youth the emerging career opportunities and available resources. MC Will E Skandalz and DJ Blaster brought the evening to life, which also featured games, dancing and the Innu band Ninan. 

“The crowd was very enthusiastic, clapping along and making noise,” said Skandalz, aka Satehoronies McComber. “We played hot potato with zombie arms for Halloween season, and musical chairs. I felt like the bingo announcer at the hall, keeping them having fun and always guessing what’s next.”

Skandalz recently collaborated with CNYC projects technician Steve Einish (aka Kong) on hip-hop track “Rez Dawgz”. While not knowing what to expect in this new experience, he said, “it fit like a shoe after about five minutes” and he’s looking forward to the next CNYC Urban Tour stop in Ottawa November 11.

“I read the room, keep it to myself I’m the event MC, then all of a sudden I appear, knowing people’s names to make it more personable,” Skandalz explained. “I’m the Mohawk coming into a Cree event, so I’ve got to make it seem like I was there the whole time. It worked beautifully so I plan to do that again – if anyone in Ottawa is reading this, oops, the cat’s out of the bag.”

After touring northern Quebec this year, Skandalz integrated local slang and jokes to keep things lively. He hopes to spend time in Eeyou Istchee this winter and has been packaging a workshop with Kong, Violent Ground, DJ Digital Fire and Showbiz514 that combines performances with guidance for launching a music career.

This year’s events are spaced out and coordinated with other Cree initiatives. Ottawa’s stop on November 11 will not only serve as a social event for postsecondary students and other youth, but also as a celebration following a three-day treaty negotiation simulation.  

As the 50th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement is in 2025, the event will focus on contemporary applications of this “first modern treaty” by splitting participants aged 16 to 35 into groups to simulate a treaty regarding moose management.

The initiative is hosted at Ottawa’s Shaw Centre November 8-10 in partnership with the Gordon Foundation. The foundation collaborated with treaty experts, negotiators and the Land Claims Agreement Coalition to develop its Understanding Our Treaties Initiative. 

Dozens of treaty simulations have been held across Canada since 2019. The Cree version will be larger than usual, inviting 60 youth from Eeyou Istchee and 20 participants from urban areas. Notable Cree figures include Robert Kanatewat, who helped negotiate the JBNQA.

The CNYC Urban Tour event in Ottawa will largely replicate the successful formula of great food, games and entertainment, with the live music delivered by Mistissini’s Eeyou-Innu Rock Band. While last year’s MC Christian-John Monias is presently focused on the CNYC’s multimedia communications, urban stops can sometimes align with music or comedy gigs.

“If I know I’ll be there months ahead, I can book a whole week of performing when I’m not working,” Monias told the Nation. “It’s been interesting navigating the comedy scene. Last year I did three small festivals.”

In October, Monias performed stand-up at a packed venue called Deli Planet just as famous comedian Sugar Sammy made a surprise appearance. After both delivered sets, Monias told the veteran entertainer he used to watch his comedy on television in Chisasibi.

“They threw him on after me which felt like I got to open for him,” said Monias. “He was very interested in where I was from and expressed interest in coming perform in the Cree Nation some time. Hopefully I can make that happen, especially now that I work with people who do make these things happen.”

“This community project not only brought our Indigenous Dawson community together but also allowed us to share this experience with our families,” Ottereyes shared. “I’m especially grateful to have shared this day with my daughter Misha. What an exhausting but fulfilling day!”

Ottereyes thanked Bobby Patton from the Cree-Mohawk teepee project in Kahnawake for connecting her with Listiguj hunter Peter Martin, who delivered it from Mi’gmaq territory for students to skin and butcher. Following an opening prayer and tobacco offering, experienced teachers guided the cleaning and cutting before moose stew was cooked right outside the college.

As the declining moose population has been a central issue in longstanding disputes between the Cree Nation and Quebec, it was the focus of a JBNQA treaty simulation held by the Cree Nation Youth Council in Ottawa on November 8 to 10. With a 2021 aerial survey finding a 35 percent drop in areas near Waswanipi, Ouje-Bougoumou and Waskaganish, the sports hunt was suspended in Zone 17 and new conservation measures have been introduced.

A mandatory tag and permit system requires tallymen to complete permission forms for local hunters with the Cree Trappers’ Association issuing permits with specific conditions that must be kept at all times. A limit of two moose per trapline and one per family must be respected, with big bull moose, females and calves avoided.

“The tallyman has authority that should be respected,” asserted Allan Saganash, who made recommendations for the policies. “People are going out and killing moose at random. Let’s do our part to bring back the moose population.”

Night hunting and the use of snowmobiles or drones for hunting are prohibited in Zone 17 – Saganash advised “get on your snowshoes and walk.” All parts of the moose should be used and shared, including donations to the CTA community freezers. Reporting harvests to the CTA ensure accurate oversight of the regional situation.

While he’s adamant that forestry is the main cause of dwindling moose numbers, there have also been pressures from the increasing number of Cree hunters with ever improving methods and equipment. In this overdeveloped region, abundant forestry roads and fragmented habitats make moose easy targets.

“A long time ago we hunted by water but now you can drive 2 km and you see a moose,” Saganash explained. “In Waswanipi, 80 to 90 percent of moose killed are in open cut areas caused by forestry development.”

Saganash said about 400 Cree and 900 non-Native camps with authorized permits are scattered throughout Waswanipi, along with 136 illegal non-Native structures at last count. He had recently encountered a non-Native camp being built in his hunting area.

“They said we’re on the list for a permit,” Saganash recalled. “I told him there’s a moratorium, you can’t build camps – he didn’t want to talk to me after. Where’s Quebec in all this? You also have poaching activities because of the roads, by Cree and non-Natives alike.”

Saganash believes every community should have a moose management committee to address their unique needs. Tallyman Paul Dixon said that fifty years ago his trapline was all female moose winter yards but today it’s mostly logged out.

“In 1993, I came out of the bush on the advice of my dad because the forest could not hold everybody so my other brothers could hunt peacefully,” Dixon said. “I’d tell the youth that they can’t be harassed about their rights but in the same breath I tell them there’s too much forestry, there’s a big decline in moose, could you please move somewhere else.”