Abel Bosum

Dr.
Abel Bosum
Born November 4th, 1955
Dore Lake, Quebec, Canada.
Citizenship Canadian
Occupation Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees
Employer Grand Council of the Crees of Northern Quebec
Predecessor Grand Chief Coon Come
Parent(s) Lucy Busom, Cypien Caron
Honours

Doctor of Civil Law, Honoris Causa, from Bishop's University

Order of Canada

Abel Bosum (born Nov. 4, 1955)[1] is a Cree leader and negotiator who is currently serving as Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees of Northern Quebec. (Eeyou Istchee)[2] He has worked for the Grand Council of the Crees of Quebec since 1977 in various capacities.[3] From 1984 to 1998, Bosum served as the Chief of his home nation the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree Nation.[3] During his time as chief, he was able to negotiate a multimillion-dollar deal with the governments of Quebec and Canada to build a new village for the nation following the peoples' seventh forcible relocation due to mining and forestry activity in Northern Quebec.[1][4] In 1998, he became the head negotiator of the Grand Council of the Crees of Quebec.[1][3] Since 2015, Abel Bosum has also served as President of the Aanischaaukamikw Foundation and of the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural institute.[5]

Early life

Abel Bosum was born the oldest of 11 children of his mother Lucy Busom.[1][6] He was born on an island on Dore Lake in Northern Quebec. [1] His father, Cypien Caron, was a French-Canadian from Quebec City who had a relationship with Lucy Busom in her settlement near Chibougamau, Quebec.[6] His mother Lucy was not allowed to marry his father because of the traditional values of their community and so Abel Bosum would not meet his biological father until he was 53 years old.[6] Abel Bosum's stepfather, Sam Neepoosh, would act as his father figure during his early years until Neepoosh passed away when Abel Bosum was 14 years old in 1969.[6][1]

For 10 years, Abel Bosum attended the La Tuque Residential school in La Tuque, Quebec, run by the Missionary Society of the Church of England in Canada, 150 km north of Trois-Rivières.[1][3][7] Once Abel Bosum left the school, he worked in underground mines in the Chibougamau area and also took fishing jobs in order to support his family. [1][3]

Career

Head of economic-development department of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee)

Abel Bosum studied business administration and began to work for the Grand Council of the Crees (GCC) at age 22 where he was named the head of its economic-development department. He held this position for 6 years. [1][3] According to Abel Bosum, while he worked to help other Cree communities with the GCC, he came to the realisation that his own people were in need of support to help ameliorate their living conditions.[1]

Chief of the Oujé-Bougoumou

In 1984, at age 28, Abel Bosum became the chief of the Oujé-Bougoumou, a position he would hold for 14 years. Oujé-Bougoumou which translates to "the place where the people gather",[8] is the Cree nation in which Abel Bosum was born. When Abel Bosum became its chief it marked the beginning of a new era for the people.[1][3] Over the preceding half century, they had been struggling to survive as a group and were considered "among the most destitute people of the developed world".[9] Between 1926 and 1970, they had been forced to move their settlements seven times because of mineral discoveries that had been made in the region of James Bay, their traditional homeland.[4] Because of the amount of relocation that the nation had undergone, by the 1970s many of its members were living in tarpaper and plywood shacks along logging roads, without running water or heat, and were split into six family groups. [8][1] Others had moved to other Northern Quebec First Nations communities.[4] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Abel Bosum had moved to Val D'Or, Quebec.[8] During the period before he became chief and while he worked for the Grand Council of the Quebec Crees, Abel Bosum served as a link among members of the community and its elders.[8] When meeting and discussing with the Oujé-Bougoumou elders about the nation's situation, they and Abel Bosum decided that they wished to take action.[8] With Abel Bosum as their leader, they decided to negotiate with the federal and provincial governments to try to rectify the situation of the nation and return it to a community that could flourish. It was under this premise that Abel Bosum became chief of the Oujé-Bougoumou with the goal of negotiating with the Province of Quebec to provide his people with more suitable living conditions and to defend and promote the Oujé-Bougoumou's aboriginal rights in Quebec and Canada.[3]

Negotiating on behalf of the Oujé-Bougoumou

There were several challenges that Abel Bosum faced in his negotiations on behalf of the Oujé-Bougoumou nation. One was their omission from the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement made in 1975 that provided compensation to Cree people in the James Bay region.[4][1] These stipends from the Quebec provincial government would aid in the development of Cree nations. However due to the mistake of an employee of the Canadian Federal Department of Indian Affairs in 1936, who had falsely combined the Oujé-Bougoumou nation with the Mistassini Cree nation, one located 90 kilometres away, the Oujé-Bougoumou had no recognised land rights in their traditional territory.[4][1] Thus, they were excluded from the benefits of the James Bay pact that other Cree nations were able to have. This issue is one that Abel Bosum spent significant time bringing awareness to.

Abel Bosum's negotiation strategy was based on gaining recognition for the Oujé-Bougoumou who had not been able to sufficiently make themselves a priority to provincial and national government so as to effect change for their status.[4] By having an anthropological study done of his people, Abel Bosum was able to give them a clear and distinct identity with a historical basis. This would legitimise the group and give them a stronger basis for their claim as a people.[4] Abel Bosum then worked to develop a proposal that would allocate land to his people which he submitted to both the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Quebec. Although at this time the nation itself had no financial resources left, they and Abel Bosum were supported by the Grand Council of the Crees to continue their struggle.[4]

During the negotiations he was leading on behalf of his people, Abel Bosum held many meetings among members of the Oujé-Bougoumou. The meetings had the goal of bringing together the interests of the community members surrounding a common goal and served to help bridge generational differences that existed among its members.[4] By uniting the Oujé-Bougoumou around a common vision for their future, allowing elders to pass on their knowledge of traditional culture to the younger generations, and discussing the way things had been for the nation before contact with settlers in Northern Quebec due to mining, Abel mobilised the members of the younger generation of the Cree nation who began to pressure the government to act on the issues facing their community.[4] Furthermore, because of the spread-out locations of the members of Oujé-Bougoumou, Abel Bosum strove to bring together his people even before they obtained their own territory. To do so he established an Oujé-Bougoumou office that organised them into a political action group.[4]

Political obstacles

When attempting to obtain recognition from the federal and provincial governments, there were additional hurdles that Abel Bosum encountered. Because the Canadian federal government insisted that the Oujé-Bougoumou have a land base in order to be recognised, and the Quebec government, newly under Parti Quebecois leadership in 1976, "strongly opposed the establishment of any new federal lands in Quebec,"[4] Abel Bosum found his nation at an impasse with the provincial government. However, after bringing a letter to René Levesque, premier of Quebec, from the federal government stating that the Oujé-Bougoumou would be recognised upon obtaining a land base, and with much negotiation effort on the part of Abel Bosum and the Oujé-Bougoumou Crees, the premier conceded one square mile of territory for an Oujé-Bougoumou village.[4] With this commitment secured, Abel Bosum returned to the federal government which agreed to begin negotiations to recognise the Oujé-Bougoumou officially.[4]

Abel Bosum's goal was for the Oujé-Bougoumou to become full participants in the treaty that benefited the Cree peoples of Northern Quebec, the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA).[4] But, the Quebec government told the Oujé-Bougoumou that they could only settle in an area not already part of a mining claim or part of a forestry concession in the region. This condition limited the options of the Oujé-Bougoumou such that they were not able to find a suitable territory to settle in because they lacked any commercial opportunities for the Oujé-Bougoumou people.[4] In the early 1980s,the Oujé-Bougoumou traditional territory was occupied by two municipal areas, six mining sites, and the operations of six forestry companies.[8] In 1985, after a change in the leadership of the Quebec provincial government to the Quebec liberal party, Abel Bosum tried to negotiate with the new premier, Robert Bourassa. These negotiations did not last long before an impasse was reached and so Abel Bosum decided to take another approach.[4]

Breaking through

Abel Bosum then decided to get into contact with someone who had been involved with the original JBNQA negotiations. Member of Provincial Parliament John Ciaccia, had negotiated on behalf of Quebec and was able to inform Abel Bosum of what obstacles needed to be overcome in order to solve the challenge he had been facing to obtain recognised territory for his people.[4] Abel Bosum was able to reach a verbal agreement with this senior provincial minister to re-negotiate Oujé-Bougoumou land as soon as the Quebec Liberal party came to power.[4]

In his dealings with the Quebec provincial government, Abel Bosum first wished to have his people granted a larger area in which to live by the province than one square mile. He was able to get the Liberal Quebec government to agree to grant his people a territory similar in size to that of other Cree nations in Northern Quebec. [4] Although at this time, Quebec refused to re-open the JBNQA talks, there were a certain number of Oujé-Bougoumou registered under the Mistissini nation, which was a part of the agreement. Abel's strategy consisted of proposing that Mistissini land be transferred to the Oujé-Bougoumou based on the number of Oujé-Bougoumou among the Mistissini so that the Oujé-Bougoumou could effectively be under the treaty. [4]Abel Bosum then had John Ciaccia amend the JBNQA to effect this change.

Another way that Abel Bosum was able to put pressure on the government was by having the Grand Council of the Crees proclaim that they would not be a signatory party to any agreement unless the Oujé-Bougoumou be also included. [4]Abel Bosum says that he subsequently had "several meetings with the prime minister" of Canada that were able to secure more commitments from the federal government. In 1986, this brought him to the point where he could, with the consultation of his people, select a site where their new village would be developed.[4]

Linking the Oujé-Bougoumou's situation to human rights activism

During the time he was negotiating with the Provincial and Federal governments to improve the situation of his people, Abel Bosum concurrently had to deal with the social issues that his community faced living in makeshift settlements along remote highways. Abel Bosum referred to their condition as an "urgent" one and worked to instill temporary measures to safeguard the health and well-being of the Oujé-Bougoumou while a new area of settlement was being negotiated.[4] For example, Abel Bosum was able to "get some funding" to install trailers with washrooms and running water in the six main encampments at which his people resided.[4]

In order to apply pressure on the government, Abel Bosum also involved the media and his own people to document the conditions that the Oujé-Bougoumou were living in and expose their situation to the public. Through the media coverage they received, the Oujé-Bougoumou were also able "to attend various conferences dealing with human rights and housing where they could bring awareness surrounding their struggles."[4] By informing the public of his people's situation, and emphasizing the human rights violations they were encountering within a first world country, Abel Bosum successfully put more pressure on the provincial and federal governments to change the situation of the Oujé-Bougoumou and negotiations re-started with more commitment on their part.[4]

Civil disobedience

The federal government began to make preliminary offers to Abel Bosum and the Oujé-Bougoumou to finance their new settlement however these offers were lower than the nation thought it needed to adequately address the needs of the community.[4] The federal government decided to provide a maximum of $14 million CAD to the Oujé-Bougoumou to begin their new village, but after much internal discussion and consultation with the elders, and despite the risk that they might not get another offer as other first nations had not gotten after refusing a government offer, Abel Bosum refused the offer on behalf of the Oujé-Bougoumou.[4]

After a year of silence from the government on the issue, the Oujé-Bougoumou were looking to apply pressure by whatever means they could on the government to get a larger financial commitment from it for the construction of their village.[4] First, Abel Bosum encouraged his people to occupy the site that they had chosen for their home without a final agreement granting them the territory. Energy Resources Quebec opposed this strategy and demanded that they stop building on the land.[4] However, the Cree disobeyed and made camps as they left their former makeshift ones by the sides of the roads.[4] Second, with more young Cree getting involved, discussions began surrounding blockades and other acts of civil disobedience. For maximum impact, Abel Bosum and the Oujé-Bougoumou decided to block a nearby forestry road that also served as an access road to mining sites and to a popular recreational fishing location, the Assinica river.[4] This strategy affected the commerce in the area significantly as it obstructed activities of three resource sectors and "created a lot of tension for the region."[4]

A final agreement

With the pressure put on the government based on the disruptive civil disobedience practiced by the Oujé-Bougoumou in Northern Quebec, real strides were made to reach a final agreement for the village in which this nation could permanently reside. Abel Bosum was contacted by the Liberal provincial minister of natural resources for Quebec, Raymond Savoie who wished to meet with him to develop a comprehensive agreement that would put an end to the grievances of the Oujé-Bougoumou.[4] At the meeting was a delegation of 15 members from Quebec as well as one negotiator from the Canadian government who had come to speak with Abel Bosum. In discussions that went late into the night and early into the morning, the governments agreed in principle to support the construction of the Oujé-Bougoumou village and "to provide a social and economic development fund" that would serve to keep the Oujé-Bougoumou people employed and allow them to develop their own economic opportunities in the future.[4] However, the federal government later backed out of the agreement because it did not agree with the principle of a social and economic development fund. Because the province of Quebec felt more pressure from the civil disobedience of the Oujé-Bougoumou to make a deal with them, Abel Bosum continued to negotiate solely with the province.[4] Finally he was able to obtain a deal granting the Oujé-Bougoumou financial support for the infrastructure of their village and a $20 million contribution towards social and economic development for the nation as well as 167 square kilometers of land.[9][4] He then sought to use this agreement to put leverage on the federal government to gain their contribution for the village's success. Making use as he had earlier of information politics, this time in the form of a media campaign, so that dialogue might continue with the federal government, Abel Bosum pressured them to put a new negotiator in place to deal with the Oujé-Bougoumou and other Cree issues.[4] By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Oujé-Bougoumou's struggle had become a symbolic one for aboriginal rights issues in Canada.

In 1992, Abel Bosum and Oujé-Bougoumou signed a deal that brought them $43.6 million from the federal government towards the construction of their village. [1] Though this deal, according to Abel Bosum, "'did not include everything we wanted,"[4] it was considered by him to be a good enough one to justify signing especially given the pressing needs of the members of the Oujé-Bougoumou who did not have homes.

The Oujé-Bougoumou village

The village that Abel Bosum is credited with founding is located Lake Opemisca, Quebec.[8] Built in consultation with the Oujé-Bougoumou people, it is home to 750 Cree and has been recognised by the United Nations as one of 50 model communities worldwide.[9][10] It gained this recognition because it was able to fulfill needs of the community while also being an environmentally sustainable and technologically advanced settlement.[8] Although it is located in a remote area of Northern Quebec, its inhabitants have a low level of unemployment and new houses are continuing to be built to meet the demand of young Cree people who wish to gain ownership of their own home.[10] The village is considered to be a unique one in Canada as it provides excellent living conditions in modern houses to Indigenous peoples. The design of the village is one that seeks to reflect the "values and culture of the Oujé-Bougoumou people."[9]

Later career

Work in his village as chief

After securing the deal to finance his village with the Quebec and Canadian governments, Abel Bosum as chief of the Oujé-Bougoumou worked to facilitate the social and economic development for his people in their new home. This involved securing access to essential natural resources so that his community could be financially self-sustaining as well as tackling social issues that his people had developed mainly due to the instability of their dwellings.[4] For example at a certain point, "over 90 per cent of Oujé-Bougoumou adults had alcohol problems, and that has fallen below 50 per cent."[8] Abel Bosum's main goal for his village however was for it to prove that aboriginal groups in Canada can make good use of the resources provided to them by the government and that these communities can exist in an politically and economically independent state.[4]

Negotiating for all Crees: Quebec negotiator for the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee)

Based on his work in advocating for his own nation's rights with the government of Quebec, in 1998, Abel Bosum was chosen to negotiate on behalf of all the Crees of Quebec as the GCC Quebec negotiator.[3] In the year 2000, he was able "to break a two-year-long impasse between the Crees and Quebec."[1] In the summer of 2000, he began negotiating with Quebec on the 1975 James Bay agreement, eventually reaching a new agreement for governing the James Bay region with the Quebec government in 2012.

In 2002, Abel Bosum led the negotiations of the Agreement Respecting a New Relationships Between the Cree Nation and the Government of Quebec (La Paix des Braves) signed on February 7th, 2002, between the Government of Quebec and the Grand Council of the Crees (GCC). This agreement serves to better integrate the Crees into the economic activities that go on in their region, shares the revenues from them with Quebec Crees, and also allows them to make decisions pertaining to their own development with the funds they receive from the provincial government.[3][11]

Abel Bosum has worked to negotiate on behalf of the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay in order to obtain health and social services for Cree people. He has also negotiated for the Cree School Board and represented the GCC in discussions with neighbouring aboriginal nations.[3]

Furthermore, he has negotiated on behalf of the GCC and several individual Cree communities "with five mining companies to ensure financial benefits, employment and environmental protection measures" be provided to Cree people in the areas where mining activities are conducted.[3]

Finally, in 2012, he negotiated the James Bay Governance Agreement that would change the way the region is administered by giving "Cree jurisdiction over the traditional Cree territory."[12][3] The agreement also developed new Cree governance structures.

Charitable work

Abel Bosum was chosen as president of the Aanischaaukamikw Foundation and Cree Cultural Institute on April 2nd, 2015.[5] Abel Bosum has helped to raise $25.6 million to develop the institute. The foundation is a registered charitable organisation, is not-for-profit, and obtained the funding it required to build the cultural institute from "Cree and non-Cree governments, corporate partners, private foundations and individuals."[3]

Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee)

Abel Bosum was elected for a four-year term as Grand Chief of the Council of the Crees of Northern Quebec on July 24th, 2017 with 55.9% of the vote share. He defeated the outgoing Deputy Grand Chief Rodney Mark. He succeeded Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come who had previously served five-terms as Grand Chief over a 40-year period.[2]

As Grand Chief he has overseen the adoption of Bill C-70 into law by the Canadian government. The bill provides the Eeyou Istchee with a higher degree of political self-determination as it allows the GCC to "create its own culturally relevant laws and have more say on a variety of local governance issues, including development."[13] The bill is an extension of the rights provided in the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. According to Abel Bosum, as expressed in his address to the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, it as an important step to advancing towards full Cree self-governance.[13][14]

Recognition

In 1998, Abel Bosum received Canada's National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the category of Community Development for his work with the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree community.[3]

In June of 2016, Abel Bosum received the degree of Doctor of Civil Law, Honoris Causa, from Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec.[3] And, in 2018, he was appointed to the Order of Canada, an honour recognising "outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation."[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Travers, E. (2000, Jul 11). Abel bosum: Quiet force behind crees' success. The Gazette Retrieved from http://www.ubishops.ca:2048/docview/433626075?accountid=8636
  2. 1 2 "Abel Bosum new Grand Chief of Quebec Cree". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Abel Bosum for Grand Chief 2017 | Eeyou Istchee Quebec". Abel Bosum for Grand Chief 2017 | Eeyou Istchee Quebec. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Aboriginal autonomy and development in northern Quebec and Labrador. Scott, Colin. Vancouver [B.C.]: UBC Press. 2001. ISBN 0774808446. OCLC 181843232.
  5. 1 2 "Aanischaaukamikw welcomes Abel Bosum as President". Aanischaaukamikw. 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Abel Bosum finds the father he never knew". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  7. ↑ "La Tuque School — Quebec - Anglican Church of Canada". Anglican Church of Canada. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The forgotten Crees lauded on world stage (Ouje-Bougoumou)". Catholic New Times. March 31, 1996.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Finkel, A. (2006). Social Policy and Practice in Canada : A History. Waterloo, Ont: WLU Press.
  10. 1 2 Peritz, I. (2005, Nov 26). In cree village, there's no place like home. The Globe and Mail Retrieved from http://www.ubishops.ca:2048/docview/383610220?accountid=8636
  11. ↑ "The Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) > Critical Issues >". www.gcc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  12. ↑ "Historic agreement with the James Bay Cree". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  13. 1 2 "More self-determination for two northern Quebec First Nations". Senate GRO. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  14. ↑ "The Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) > Statement By Grand Chief Dr. Abel Bosum To The Standing Senate Committee On Aboriginal Peoples On Bill C-70, Cree Nation Of Eeyou Istchee Governance Agreement Act". gcc.ca. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  15. ↑ Governor General Updates on 125 New Appointments to the Order of Canada. (2018, January 7). Entertainment Close-up. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A521701669/ITOF?u=crepuq_bishop&sid=ITOF&xid=8eec7083
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