Meet the Candidates

Ted Moses

For Grand Chief

Why are you the best candidate for Grand Chief?

I have the experience, credibility, integrity and reputation required to effectively and adequately represent and defend the Cree Nation.

My lifelong commitment to the cause of the Crees and to Aboriginal peoples worldwide has allowed me to build a credibility and effectiveness in defending and promoting the interest of the Cree people that few others can claim to have.

My deeply-rooted traditional values, my experience as a tallyman, my longstanding and very public positions for aboriginal rights, and my record of successes in bringing concrete and real benefits to the Cree people speak for themselves.

My mission for the future is one of nation building. I will work to develop a strong Cree Nation government that will be stronger in the defence of the interests of the Cree Nation and better equipped to deliver real benefits to the people. This vision includes: defending our land, promoting new energy sources such as wind energy and energy conservation, more housing, healthy and viable communities, a vibrant Cree economy, more jobs, more services and programs for all and particularly for the trappers, and a Cree Nation government with the resources to take care of Cree affairs and to speak out effectively and with credibility for the people.

In your opinion, what is the single most important issue facing the Cree Nation today?

There are many important issues facing the Cree Nation today, and all of them need to be addressed. I am not a single-issue candidate.

We need, among other things, to address better the social issues facing our people through improvement of the social conditions in our communities, we need to defend our land from ever-pressing demands on development, we need to improve our governance structures by making the Cree Nation government a reality, we need to develop new economic opportunities such as wind energy. We need to enhance our language and culture and we need to develop employment opportunities for our youth.

These are some of the issues that I intend to tackle as Grand Chief, and I am confident that my experience and credibility in achieving real and concrete results for the people will allow these issues to progress during my mandate.

If you could change one thing in the Cree Nation today, what would it be?

The Cree Nation is stronger today than it has ever been. The communities are building up, the Crees are respected and admired throughout Canada, and new opportunities are pointing on the horizon.

However, over the past few decades there has been a loss of some of our traditional values, families are not as united as in the past, and social family problems have increased. If there was one thing I could change, it would be to reinforce in the communities the traditional Cree values, and this I believe would go a long way in solving the social problems some of our people are facing.

What are the three most important things you hope to accomplish in your term?

I intend to continue my lifetime commitment to the defence of our rights and the protection of our culture, language and traditional way of life. This is why I decided to get involved in the Grand Council, and this is what I intend to continue pursuing as Grand Chief.

I also intend to improve the social conditions in our communities. Through new employment opportunities for our youth, new programs for our trappers and by developing new opportunities in wind energy, we can improve these conditions. I am already working towards new concrete measures to accomplish this.

I will also work to set up the new Cree Nation government in order to ensure that the Cree people better control their destiny and have more responsive and accountable institutions. I have succeeded in setting up the process that will achieve this, and I am confident this process can be completed within the next mandate if I receive the support of the Cree people to continue these important discussions.

What makes you proud to be Cree?

Our tradition of respect for others, the unity we have achieved as a Nation through the Grand Council, the fact that we believe in ourselves, our capacity to sacrifice our individual needs for the better of the Nation as a whole, and our long-term vision as a Nation are some of the things that make me proud to be Cree.