Knowledge gap on mining development frustrates tallymen, Quebec Cree Nation

Terrence Duff · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 3:28 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Frustration ran precocious arsenic Cree tallymen voiced concerns astir earthy assets extraction regulations and their rights nether the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement during caller meetings with the Cree Nation Government. 

The meetings, organized by the Cree Nation Government (CNG) and held successful some Mistissini and Chisasibi, Quebec, came aft tallymen demanded amended consultation astir improvement projects successful the fall. 

More than 200 radical attended the gathering successful Chisasibi. Both gatherings were intended to beryllium an archetypal measurement toward improving connection betwixt the Cree Nation Government, land-users and tallymen – radical who negociate accepted hunting territories and walk their heavy cognition of the onshore down done their family. 

Tommy Matthew, a tallyman from the coastal portion of Eeyou Istchee, said helium spoke astir a captious cognition spread astatine 1 of the meetings. He admitted to not afloat knowing governmental regulations portion besides emphasizing that decision-makers often deficiency cognition of accepted onshore stewardship. 

"I was fixed the accepted hunting territory to instrumentality attraction of. People who bash not person this work volition not person the aforesaid understanding," said Matthew.

Despite these challenges, Matthew said helium appreciated assemblage discussions facilitated by the CNG and Cree Trappers Association (CTA). He said tallymen person a work to support their onshore and should person the close to accidental nary to development.

Under the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement of 1975, the Cree of Eeyou Istchee person rights implicit their accepted territory, peculiarly successful biology and societal decision-making. The statement gives them exclusive rights to hunting, sportfishing and trapping successful definite areas.

Mandy Gull-Masty, the expansive main of the Eeyou Istchee, says that though the Cree cannot cull exploration projects outright, they bash clasp important power implicit whether projects proceed. 

Through biology appraisal committees, the Cree assistance signifier improvement decisions and negociate presumption that support their onshore and traditions. Over time, the Cree person utilized this powerfulness to block, modify oregon negociate assets projects that interaction their land, rights and mode of life. 

Gull-Masty said these moves are much salient inland of Eeyou Istchee, wherever the mining manufacture seeks to instrumentality vantage of existing logging roads due to the fact that gathering caller ones is expensive.

The gathering besides served to pass radical astir the existent exploration companies that are progressive close present successful Eeyou Istchee, and to explicate new rules and regulations for the Quebec mining industry. 

Gull-Masty besides noted the increasing beingness of large-scale mining companies, peculiarly for lithium, connected the coastal broadside of Eeyou Istchee. She said having hard conversations astir the interaction of mining is portion of her job. 

"Trying to find sustainable improvement is difficult, the champion mode to bash it is listening to the radical and trying to conscionable their needs." said Gull-Masty. "There are radical who perfectly bash not privation immoderate mining activities and others enactment for the mining manufacture and immoderate privation to commencement their ain companies." 

CTA representatives besides reaffirmed their committedness to supporting hunters and land-users successful navigating policies and knowing their rights. 

"We request to enactment unneurotic arsenic a nation, to amended recognize the policies of mining and forestry, and us, from CTA, to assistance bring much knowing of the Eeyou hunting law," said Thomas Stevens, the association's peculiar projects coordinator. 

A determination report, expected successful July, volition papers the interaction of mining connected Cree traplines and accepted activities, and supply recommendations for section and determination governments.