Bill 1: An Act Respecting the Cree Language of Eeyou Istchee was unanimously adopted by the Board Council of the Cree Nation Government on September 17, 2019 in Waswanipi. The Act was the first to be adopted by the Cree Nation Government following their signing of the Cree Governance Agreement, which recognized the rights of the Cree to make their own laws. As the first law to be adopted, the Cree Nation Government made and very clear statement as to the importance of the Cree language to the Cree people.

The Act represents a clear statement that the Cree people have rights to use, learn, and benefit from their language, and furthermore, that they expect to be able to act upon these rights.

The Act also recognizes that Cree language rights have been recognized in provincial, federal, and international agreements, conventions and laws – from Quebec’s Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) to the Canadian Constitution, the Federal Act Respecting Indigenous Languages and the international United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Bill 1, however, is not merely a symbolic assertion of Cree language rights. The Act concrete measures that are intended to support language maintenance and revitalization work in the Cree communities of Eeyou Istchee. These measures include:

• The appointment of a Commissioner of the Cree Language in Eeyou Istchee, with measures to ensure the secure funding of his office
• A recognition of the political independence of the Commissioner’s office
• A mandate and powers for the Commissioner, so they can undertake work to
  • promote the Cree language
  • support people in the communities in their efforts to revitalize and strengthen the Cree language
  • promote public awareness as to the state of the language and Cree language rights
  • study aspects of the language in Eeyou Istchee, including relating to the use and vitality of the language
  • work with Cree governments and other agencies to document the language establish standards, conduct community assessments and develop and implement programming
• The development of Cree Language Plans by community governments, businesses, and other institutions operating in Eeyou Istchee

You can download a copy of the Bill 1: An Act Respecting the Cree Language of Eeyou Istchee here.