The Cree Trappers Association (CTA) is looking to restructure itself in order to better serve the trappers of Eeyou Istchee. The CTA was created through the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) in 1978 and has almost 4,000 card-carrying members.
“It was felt (back then) that the Cree hunters and Trappers needed their own organization that would serve as a voice for them,” according to Tomas Coon, Vice President of the CTA. “The heart of the Cree Nation is Hunting, Fishing and Trapping.”
There is one member sitting on the board per community, except for the larger villages like Mistissini and Chisasibi, where there are two.
Now 25 years old, the CTA is trying to modernize itself by revisiting their existing organizational structure, their functions and their mandate.
“There’s going to be consultations with the local committees, the CTA board and the trappers themselves as to how we can form the new CTA,” said Coon. “We hope within two years, we’ll have a new Cree Trappers Association.”
