At 37, he's 'ready for the challenge' of leading the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador

Francis Verreault-Paul was surrounded by his family, wife and two-week-old son when he was elected regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) on Tuesday evening.

His 88-year-old grandmother, or kokum, travelled hours to surprise him for the occasion.

"She told me, 'hey you need to win. You need to win this'. I said 'listen kokum, we'll see how it goes.' But I did what I had to do," said Verreault-Paul with a laugh.

"It was pretty emotional … but one thing [for] sure is that I'm ready for the challenge."

Verreault-Paul, 37, received approximately 58 per cent of the vote. Thirty-six out of the 43 chiefs represented by the AFNQL participated in the vote for the head of the assembly. 

Top of mind for his mandate is defending Indigenous rights to land, language, culture and children's future.

For the past two years, Verreault-Paul has served as chief of staff to regional chief Ghislain Picard. When Picard announced in January he would not seek reelection after over 30 years in the role, Verreault-Paul decided to throw his hat in the ring for the top position. 

"I just felt I was ready for it," said Verreault-Paul, who is from the Innu nation of Mashteuiatsh, located on the western shore of Lac Saint-Jean.

"I've always thought about running in politics," he said. "Ghislain did an amazing job for this and I want to pursue that in the same way."

'We've come a long way,' says outgoing chief

Outgoing chief Picard was the same age when he was first elected to the role. After 11 consecutive terms as regional chief, he's held the position for over 30 years.

"Three decades later, we've come a long way at a time when Indigenous issues didn't occupy as much space as they do today," said Picard.

Throughout his career, he's focused on Indigenous autonomy and the right to self determination, something he says still  needs advocacy.

In recent years, Picard has denounced the sometimes difficult relationship with Quebec's CAQ government.

"What we've seen in terms of the evolution of Indigenous rights, Indigenous title on the land … we're certainly not there yet," said Picard.

Picard says Verreault-Paul has "got his eyes on what needs to happen."

While he won't miss some aspects of the job – noting some "frustrating" political meetings as an example — Picard says he'll miss the connection with chiefs and communities the most.

"He was very dedicated, committed to what he was doing and I intend to be the same," said Verreault-Paul.

"I really want to build those sustainable relationships."

A former hockey star

Verreault-Paul only recently retired from pro hockey in 2020 to serve as head of the Nikanite for First Nations Centre at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.

During his hockey career with McGill University, he was a "prolific scorer," says Earl Zuckerman, sports information officer at McGill Athletics.

"He was really the heart and soul of our team," said Zuckerman. "He won almost every trophy that could be won."

Named team MVP, league MVP and player of the year, Verreault-Paul was inducted into the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. 

Zuckerman says his "statistics are beyond compare."

"He's one of the all time greatest hockey players I've ever seen at McGill. And I've seen many players … I've been there 46 years," he said.

Zuckerman extended his congratulations to the former player venturing into his new role, saying he "couldn't be happier for him."