New chief for James Bay Crees

Last Thursday, Matthew Mukash was elected Grand Chief of the James Bay Crees for a term of four years.

Mukash is the chief of Whapmagoostui, which lies at the Great Whale River beside Kuujjuaraapik.

Mukash received 5,787 or 56 per cent of the votes cast, defeating incumbent Ted Moses who received 43 per cent of the vote.

Mukash is a supporter of alternative energy sources and a long-time opponent of hydroelectric projects in the Cree territory, such as the planned diversion of the Rupert River.

Publicly, Mukash has not come out against the Crees’ Paix des Braves agreement, which, like Nunavik’s Sanarruutik agreement, gave the region more than $1 billion in exchange for future hydro-electric development projects.

In an interview following his election, Mukash said it would still be possible to save the Rupert River from hydroelectric development because the environmental review of the project isn’t finished.