Robert Kanatewat

Cree entrepreneur and politician Robert Kanatewat was born in the 1930s in Eeyou Istchee, the traditional Eeyouch homeland. In 2007, Eeyou Istchee became a territory recognized by the Quebec government, made out of the tracts of land covered by the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and governed by the Cree Nation Government. Robert Kanatewat has dedicated half a century to serving the members of his community and all Eeyouch. His many accomplishments will go down in history.

From 1968 to 1977, Robert Kanatewat was Chief of the community of Chisasibi, on Fort George Island. Nearby was the Chisasibi River, where Hydro-Quebec planned to build a series of hydroelectric dams that would transform the region. Then a young chief, Robert Kanatewat was one of four Eeyouch signatories of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, now considered Quebec’s first modern treaty. He was also one of the leaders who brought a legal action against the James Bay Development Corporation. After a long legal battle, in 1973 the group obtained an “interlocutory injunction” temporarily halting work on the dam. The case is considered the first recognition of Indigenous rights by a judge in Canada.

When the dams went ahead, the James Bay Highway was built to improve access and the community of Fort George Island had to be relocated to avoid erosion and flooding. In 2020, to mark the 45th anniversary of the Agreement, the highway was renamed Billy Diamond Highway after another Cree leader who signed the Agreement.

In remote communities, small planes were the only way to travel to negotiation sites. Robert Kanatewat often flew back and forth to meetings between lawyers and government officials. In recognition, at the 2016 Annual General Assembly of the Cree Nation Government (Eeyou Istchee), it was announced that the Chisasibi Airport would be renamed the Chief Robert Kanatewat Airport. Today, the airport is an important hub for tourists, visiting workers, and residents. Robert Kanatewat was also an entrepreneur. In 1987, he founded Kepa Transport, a freight transportation company that is economically vital to Cree communities to this day.

In 2022, Robert Kanatewat was awarded the First Peoples Medal by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. The award celebrates social engagement and outstanding achievements that help communities thrive. Along with other James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement signatories, he also was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from the Université du Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) for his exceptional qualities as a Cree leader and his contribution to the defence and promotion of Indigenous rights.