Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, members.
[Witness speaks in Cree]
To my family, hello.
My name is Melissa Saganash. I'm the Director of Cree-Québec Relations for the Grand Council of the Crees. I also serve as a member of the James Bay Regional Government technical committee, so I have the honour of working with Johanne Lacasse every so often. I'm also a member of the the Waswanipi Cree first nation of James Bay.
Today our presentation will essentially cover topics pertaining to general provisions of the governance model of the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government and primarily on key factors of our practical experience in the implementation of the multi-language simultaneous translation that is used by our citizens, in French, English, and Cree.
To set you in context of how and why we are in the position to deliver such a service, it's important to understand the essence of a particular agreement that was signed with the province and the Cree nation.
On July 24, 2012, the Government of Quebec signed an agreement with the Cree nation government, known as the Agreement on Governance in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Territory between the Crees of Eeyou Istchee and the Gouvernement du Québec. This historic agreement resulted in the abolishment of the former Municipalité de Baie-James, where only mayors of the municipalities and localities of James Bay would govern, and led to the creation of the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government. This new structure now includes a seat at the table for each elected chief in addition to the mayors of the territory—a first of its kind in the country. This agreement provides for the modernization of the governance regime that once prevailed in the territory, and promotes the inclusion of the Eeyou in decision-making powers.
Essentially, the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government now provides significant Cree participation in decision-making over shared lands and resources. The new regional government reflects a vision of a path for our territory based on the noble principles of inclusiveness, democracy, and social harmony.