Message on the anniversary of the signing of the Cree-Canada New Relationship Agreement

ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᐅᔅᑳᒡ ᕕᑦᕆᐊᓪ ᐋ ᐧᐃᒑᐅᑐᓈᓂᐅᒡ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓐ, ᑳ ᒥᓯᓂᐦᐆᓱᓈᓂᐅᒡ ᒋᔖᐲᓯᒽ 21, 2008 ᐊᑯᑎᐦ ᑳ ᐅᐦᒋᐱᔨᒡ ᒑ ᐅᔅᑳᒡ ᒑ ᒌ ᐧᐃᒑᐱᑎᓯᒥᑑᒡ ᐅᒌ ᑳᓈᑖ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐄᔨᔨᐅᒡ ᐊᑎᑎᐤ ᒑ ᒌ ᒥᔪᐊᐱᑎᓰᓯᔅᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐃᔥᐱᔥ ᑳ ᐅᓯᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᒋᒥᔅ ᐯᔨ ᐅᑖᐦ ᐊᑎᒫᐲᓯᒽ ᑯᐸᒃ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓐ 1975 – ᒋᔮᓂᐤ ᒋ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓂᔨᐤᐦ ᐅᑖᐦ 45 ᑎᐦᑑ ᐱᐴᓐᐦ ᐃᔑ ᐸᒋ ᐅᑖᐦᒡ, ᔥᒌᐦᒌᐦᑳᓈᑯᐦᑖᓈᓂᐤ ᒋᑭᔅᒋᐦᐅᐧᐃᓂᔨᐤᐦ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᓂᐦᐄ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓐ ᐧᐋᒋᐦᒡ ᐊᓐ ᔔᐦᒃ ᐋᒌ ᓂᐳᔅᑎᒥᐦᒄ, ᐋᒌ ᐊᔨᒥᔅᑎᒥᐦᒄ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᓂᐦᐄ ᓂᔅᑯᒥᐧᐃᓐᐦ᙮ ᑖᐧᐹᐦ ᒫᒃ ᐊᔅᒋᐱᑯᐦᑖᓈᓂᐤ ᐋ ᒌ ᒋᐦᑳᓈᑯᐦᒡ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓂᐦᐄ ᒋᑭᔅᒋᐦᐅᐧᐃᓂᐤᐦ ᐋᒌ ᐃᔑ ᓂᔅᑐᐦᑖᑯᐦᒡ ᐋ ᒌ ᐧᐃᒋᐦᐄᐧᐋᐱᔨᐦᒡ ᐊᔅᑎᐦᑖᐧᐃᓈᐦ, ᐋ ᐧᐃᒋᐦᐄᑯᒡ ᐊᔅᑎᔨᒥᓂᐅᒡ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒫᒃ ᐆ ᒋᔮᓂᐤ ᐊᑎᔅᑳᓈᓯᔨᐦᒄ᙮

ᐅᑎᐦ ᐆ ᔕᔥ ᓃᔅᑎᓄᐧᐋᐱᐳᓐᐦ ᐊᐦᑐᐳᐧᓈᔮᒡ ᐆ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓐ ᒫᒥᐦᒑᓂᔨᐤ ᐊᓐ ᕕᕐᕆᔨᓪ ᒑᐧᑳᔨᐤ ᒑ ᑐᑎᒥᑯᐱᓈᐦ ᐋ ᐃᔑ ᒥᓯᓈᑖᔨᒡ ᐊᓂᑎᐦ ᒋᒥᔅ ᐯᔨ ᐅᑖᐦ ᐊᑎᒫᐲᓯᒽ ᑯᐸᒃ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓐ ᐊᓂᑎᐦ ᐊᔥᑎᐦᑖᐧᐃᓈᐦᒡ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓐ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᑎᐹᔨᐦᒋᒑᓯᐤ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐊᓂᔮᔨᐤ ᑯᔨᔅᑯᓂᐧᐋᐧᐃᓈᐦᒡ, ᐱᑳᔅᒋᐦᐅᐧᐃᓈᐦᒡ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐋ ᓄᔅᒋᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐊᔅᑎᐦᑖᐧᐃᓂᐤᐦ, ᐊᐱᑎᓯᐧᐃᓂᔨᐤ ᑳ ᐋ ᐊᐱᑎᓰᔅᑎᐦᒡ, ᐊᔥᒡ ᒫᒃ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᓐ ᔔᔮᓈᐦᒡ ᐋ ᐃᔑ ᐋᐱᑎᓯᓯᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᒑ ᒌ ᒥᔪᐱᔨᒡ᙮ ᐅᐦᐄ ᒫᒃ ᒑᐧᑳᔨᐤᐦ, ᐊᐅᑯᓐᐦ ᑳ ᐧᐃᒋᐦᐄᐧᐋᐱᔨᒡ ᐊᑎᑎᐤ ᓂᑳᓂᐦᒡ ᒑ ᒌ ᐃᑑᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐋ ᓅᔅᒋᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐊᔅᑎᐦᑖᐧᐃᓂᐤ ᐊᐅᔅᑳᒡ ᐧᐋᔅᑳᐦᐄᑭᓐ ᐊᑎᒥᒥᓵᒡ ᐋ ᒌ ᐧᐃᑳᐳᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓅᔅᒋᓂᒑᓂᐅᒡ, ᐊᑎᑎᐤ ᐧᐋᔅᑳᐦᐄᑭᓐᐦ ᐊᐧᐃᒋᐧᐋᒑᓂᐅᒡ ᐋ ᒌ ᐧᐃᑳᐳᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ, ᐋᓯᓂᐦᑳᓂᑭᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᒋᒫᔅᑭᓂᓅᐦ ᒋᑎᐦᑖᐧᐃᓈᐦᒡ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᑎᑎᐤ ᐋᒥᔪᐱᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐊᓂᑎᐦ ᐊᒥᔫᐦᑳᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐊᔅᑎᐦᑖᐧᐃᓂᐤᐦ ᐋ ᐋᐱᑎᓰᔅᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐊᓂᔮᔨᐤ ᐊᑎᑎᐤ ᒑ ᒌ ᒥᔪᐊᐱᒋᐦᑖᒡ ᒑ ᒌ ᐧᐃᒋᐦᐄᑯᒡ ᐊᔅᑎᔨᒥᓂᐅᒡ᙮

ᐅᑎᐦ ᐆ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓐ ᒑᔅᑎᓈᑎᔅᑖᐤ ᐊᓐ ᒋᔮᓂᐤ ᐋ ᐃᔑ ᑎᐹᔨᐦᑎᒥᐦᒄ ᒑ ᒌ ᐃᔑ ᑎᐹᔨᒥᓱᔨᐦᒃ ᒋᔮᓂᐤ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᓐ ᒋᔮᓂᐤ ᐸᒥᐱᐦᐧᑖᓱᔨᐦᒄ, ᒑ ᒌ ᐧᐃᒋᐦᐄᑯᔨᐦᒄ ᐋ ᐧᐋᐧᐃᒋᐦᐄᐧᐋᔨᐦᒄ ᑕᑭᔥ ᐊᓐ ᐋ ᓄᔅᒋᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐱᑳᔅᒋᐦᐅᐧᐃᓐ ᐅᑎᐦ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔅᒌᐦᒡ᙮ ᐅᑎᐦ ᐆ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓐ, ᐊᔅᒋᐦᑎᑖᓈᓂᐤ ᐊᓐ ᒑ ᐊᑏᐦᑎᓈᓂᐅᒡ ᐊᓐ ᑳᐦᐱᑯᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐃᔨᔨᐤ ᑎᐹᔨᐦᒋᒑᓯᐤ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐧᐃᓐ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᓐ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐧᐃᔨᔔᐧᐋᐧᐃᓐ ᐅᑎᐦ 2017, ᐋ ᐅᐧᐋᔨᐦᔅᑖᑭᓄᒡ ᐊᓂᐦᐄ ᐧᐋᒋᐦᒡ ᑳ ᐊᐱᒋᐦᑖᑭᓄᒡ ᑳ ᐆᐧᐋᔨᑳᐳᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᐆ ᐋᒥᒥᐦᑖᑯᓯᓈᓂᐅᒡ, ᐊᑎᐸᔨᒥᓱᓈᓂᐅᒡ ᑎᐹᔨᐦᒋᒑᐧᐃᓐᐦ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᓱᐦᒋᒑᐳᐧᐃᓈᓂᐅᒡ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐋ ᐃᑎᔅᑳᓈᓯᓈᓂᐅᒡ᙮

The Federal New Relationship Agreement, signed on February 21, 2008, established a new relationship between Canada and the Cree Nation in order to improve implementation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement of 1975– our Treaty. Over the last 45 years, we have consistently placed our rights and our treaty at the centre of our struggles, our negotiations and our agreements. We have successfully built upon the recognition of those rights by translating them into meaningful tangible benefits for our communities, our people, and our Nation.

This 20-year Agreement transfers many Federal responsibilities under the JBNQA to our communities and the Cree Nation Government with regards to justice, economic and community development, human resources development, along with the financial resources to carry them out. With these resources, we have been able to advance the development of our communities through new community facilities and infrastructure, some additional housing, paved roads and establish standards for sanitation and community services that better meet the needs of our people.

The Agreement also reaffirmed our jurisdiction to govern ourselves and our affairs, helping us to participate more fully in the economic development of Eeyou Istchee. With this Agreement, we set out a process leading to the Cree Nation Governance Agreement and Cree Constitution of 2017, putting into place key elements required for the building of a proud, self-governing and effective Cree Nation.