Grand Chief Billy Diamond, politician, businessman (born on May 17, 1949 in Rupert House [now Cree Nation of Waskaganish], QC); died on 30 September 2010 in Waskaganish. A leading figure in Indigenous politics in Québec and internationally, he successfully led negotiations and was a signatory to the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA). He was also Chairman of the Cree School Board and President of Air Creebec.
Billy Diamond was raised in Rupert House (now known as Waskaganish) and grew up hunting and trapping with his family along the Nottaway River. When he was 7 years old, Diamond was sent to residential school in Moose Factory, Ontario. There, his hair was cut-off, he was forced to speak English and any contact with his sister at the same school was forbidden. Diamond described his experiences at that residential school as destructive to “my foundation years and my identity and my sense of belonging.”
Diamond was later sent to live at Shingwauk Residential School and then attended a public high school in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario where students were boarded out in private homes. It was during high school that he honed his leadership and public-speaking skills. Along with several other First Nations students, Diamond created the Indian Student Association and was elected to the association’s Executive Committee. He also became the school’s newsletter editor.
In the 1960s, Billy Diamond became Band Manager of Waskaganish and then Chief from 1970-76. He was a founding member and Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees (of Québec) from 1974-84 and Chairman of the Cree Regional Authority (now known as the Cree Nation Government). The Cree Regional Authority was established in 1978 to administer the implementation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement in relation to, among others, the land regime, the environment, and economic and social development.
From 1980-83, Diamond was involved in constitutional negotiations. He successfully fought to amend Canada’s Constitution to have modern land claims agreements entrenched as treaty rights in Section 35. This meant that the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and its Complementary Agreements would now be fully protected under Canada’s Constitution.
The 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA), the first modern day Treaty, helped transform the Cree Nation to a contemporary society while protecting language, culture, and the continued pursuit of traditional customs.
