CREE GRAND CHIEF TO SPEAK AT UVM ON OCTOBER 25th
Talk by Grand Chief Matthew Mukash on "The Cree Nation's Evolving Relationship with Canada and Quebec"
Date and time: Thursday October 25, 4:30 pm
Livak Ballroom, Davis Center, University of Vermont
Open to all members of the public
On October 25th at 4:30 pm, Grand Chief Matthew Mukash of the Grand Council of the Crees will speak about the history of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and the recent agreement between the Cree people and the Canadian government.
Grand Chief Matthew Mukash is the elected leader of the the Grand Council of the Crees, the political body that represents the approximately 14,000 Cree of eastern James Bay and Southern Hudson Bay in Northern Quebec. In 1975, the Cree and the Canadian government signed the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the first modern land claims settlement in Canada. Over the years that followed, the two parties disagreed about how this agreement would be implemented and the Cree demanding that the Canadian government live up to their promises. Taking their story around the world, the Cree brought attention to the challenges faced by their people and the environment due to the massive hydroelectricity projects that flooded traditional lands. In July of 2007, after several year of out-of-court negotiations, the Cree came to an agreement with Canada's federal government that they hope will pave the way for a new relationship between both parties.
This event marks the second time a Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees has spoken at the University of Vermont. Grand Chief Mukash's predecessor Ted Moses spoke at UVM in 2002.
Grand Chief Mukash's visit to the University of Vermont is sponsored by the University of Vermont's Canadian Studies Program, with support from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC and the UVM Area and International Studies Program .
For more information, contact Dr. Paul Martin, Director of the University of Vermont Canadian Studies Program at 656.8451 or Paul.Martin@uvm.edu