Crees stuck to their guns and finally won the battle with Quebec over policing.
After months of dispute, a policing agreement for the Crees was quietly signed November 23 by Grand Chief Coon Come, Deputy Grand Chief, Kenny Blacksmith, the Solicitor-General, Quebec’s Premier and two Quebec cabinet ministers.
Crees will get $4.2 million next year for policing, enough to pay for 42 constables in the nine communities. The constables will also have expanded jurisdiction on Cree territories. Canada will provide 52 per cent of the funds and Quebec, 48 per cent.
An earlier public signing of the agreement was cancelled at the last moment when the Crees backed out, fearing that the event was being turned into a public relations exercise by the PQ. Cree police had been without government binding for about half a year. Cree constables walked off their jobs on Sept. 1 to protest the lack of government action.
