Meet the candidates for grand chief of Eeyou Istchee
John Kitchen, Norman A. Wapachee, and Paul John Murdoch are in the final stretch of their campaigns
Three prominent Cree leaders are vying to become the next grand chief of Eeyou Istchee, and each is offering a different vision for the future of northern Quebec's Cree Nation.
The contenders — John Kitchen, Norman A. Wapachee, and Paul John Murdoch — bring diverse experience in business, politics and law to the race.
With advance polls opening on July 13 and election day set for July 17, the candidates are making their final pitches to voters across 11 northern Quebec Cree communities.
John Kitchen
John Kitchen is a CEO of a construction company in Waswanipi, Que., and has more than 20 years of experience in politics, including time as band councillor and chief of Waswanipi.
He says he entered the race to become the next grand chief to improve housing and gender equality, and to get Cree tallymen more involved in forestry and mining development.
"I've seen families that stop going to their trap line due to industry that's destroying their life," said Kitchen. "The first thing is to consult with the tallymen, the land user, on whatever project is going on. They need to know because they practice our traditional lifestyle."
When it comes to increasing the housing stock, Kitchen believes local contractors are essential for enhancing home quality and supporting local businesses.
"There are local contractors to build these houses. They know what kind of house it takes to build at a certain price," said Kitchen, adding, "if it's a long-term contract for them, it will be good for them to achieve in their business and grow bigger and bigger."
He believes that as local contractors grow their businesses, it could lead to a positive cycle of increased housing development.
Norman A. Wapachee
Norman A. Wapachee, from Mistissini, Que., was formerly a Cree Nation Government (CNG) deputy grand chief and is currently interim grand chief.
Wapachee's focus is on land protection, language preservation, and addressing social issues such as poverty, substance abuse and violence.
"I'd like to see a lot more long-term land-based programs for people because the land heals and it's where our culture is," he said.
Wapachee also wants to change where chiefs meet.
During his time with the CNG, Wapachee said, meetings often took place in Montreal, Val d'Or, or other cities in southern Quebec.
"For many years now, the CNG has been really almost down South. I want to be able to bring home CNG where people feel that it's their government serving them," he said.
Another of his key priorities: modernize section 22 of the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement, which calls for establishing an environmental and social protection regime for the Cree territory of Eeyou Istchee.
"CNG's environment site needs to have a good grip on the environment to ensure there's compliance, to make sure we have an input to protect our lands, our waters and wildlife," said Wapachee.
Paul John Murdoch
Paul John Murdoch is a lawyer from Chisasibi, Que., who has been in practice for more than 20 years. Though he's the only Cree lawyer in the area, he is prepared to step away from his legal career to become grand chief.
Murdoch said he would work on improvements to housing, foster greater unity among the grand council, and ensure that funding for programs that often goes unspent is used effectively.
He also wants to reform outdated laws that limit home ownership and economic growth for Cree families.
"There are some very archaic legal principles that get in the way of Cree people owning homes and building wealth and I think I can fix these things," said Murdoch.
Murdoch, who helped draft the original Cree Language Act, wants to strengthen support for the Cree Language Commissioner, the official responsible for developing programs and policies that keep the Cree language alive and thriving in daily life across Eeyou Istchee.
Murdoch also questioned "an over $40 million surplus when it comes to justice and preventive programs." He called it "scandalous," and emphasized the urgent need for youth-focused justice initiatives.
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