Cree Grand Chief travels to Waswanipi to calm opposition

The Grand Chief of the Cree Nation is inWaswanipi, Que., trying to calm concerns over a forestry agreement signed last week between the Cree Nation and the province of Quebec.

Thedeal was signed last Mondayin Quebec City to resolve a long-standing dispute over how forestry industry was clear cutting on a large swath of land between Lac St. Jean and James Bay. The community ofWaswanipiopposed the agreement, saying it threatened their efforts to protect theBroadbackRiver Watershed, which is more than 600 kilometres north of Montreal, near the communities ofWaswanipi,Ouj-Bougoumouand Nemaska.

It is the only intact forest left aroundWaswanipiand is an important habitat for the endangered woodland caribou herds.

Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come will meet withWaswanipiChief Marcel Happyjack and council this morning. This afternoon, the Grand Chief will take questions fromWaswanipipeople, including more than 60 tallymen, who have concerns over how the agreement will affect their traplines, according to Happyjack.

"They need to keep going with their lives and those whose lands are still somewhat intact don't want any or more forestry on their lands," said Happyjack.

In an open letter issuedbefore the meeting, Coon Come said he shared the community's concerns about protecting theBroadbackRiver Watershed.

"The agreement marks more of a beginning than an end," the letter from Coon Come states. "It closes no doors and opens many, including with respect to protected areas."

The Baril Moses agreement was signed in 2002 alongside the Paix des Braves.