The Office of the Commissioner of the Cree Language was mandated in Bill 1: An Act Respecting the Cree Language of Eeyou Istchee. The Act was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) and the Council of the Cree Nation Government in Waswanipi on September 17, 2019.

Commissioners are appointed for a term of five years by the Board/Council of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee). Mr. Jamie Moses of Eastmain was appointed as the first Commissioner of the Cree Language in 2020 and began his first term in January, 2021.

The Act mandates the Commissioner to

a) help promote the Cree language

b) support the efforts of Cree people to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen the Cree language

c) facilitate the resolution of disputes and review complaints to the extent provided by the act.

d) promote public awareness and understanding in respect of

i. the diversity and richness of the Cree language

ii. the inseparable link between the Cree language and the cultures of the Cree people

iii. the rights of the people related to the Cree language

iv. the significance of those rights for Cree people, as well as for the general public

v. the negative impact of colonization and discriminatory government policies on the Cree language and the exercise of those rights, and

e) support innovative projects and the use of new technologies in Cree language education and revitalization, in cooperation with Cree governments and other Cree governing bodies, Indigenous organizations, the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments.

The Act also allows the Commissioner to undertake research or studies with respect to

a) the provision of funding for the purposes of supporting the Cree language; or

b) the use of the Cree language, including for the purposes of measuring the vitality of those languages or identifying measures to restore and maintain fluency in those languages; or

c) assistance in the carrying out of community assessments

Finally, the Act mandates the Commissioner to support Cree communities and governments in Eeyou Istchee in their efforts to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen the Cree language, including their efforts to:

a) create permanent records of the language

b) establish certification standards for translators and interpreters

c) conduct community assessments in respect of the use of the language

d) develop and implement plans for reclaiming, revitalizing, maintaining and strengthening the language

e) engage with the Government of Canada or the Government of Quebec to establish culturally appropriate methods of teaching and learning the language.