Ted Moses

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Ted Moses OQ (born 1950) is a Cree leader from Eastmain, a small community in northern Quebec. He became Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees and has been honored as an Officer of the National Order of Quebec. He studied school administration at Ryerson University in Toronto and McGill University in Montreal. He also served as Chief and Mayor of Eastmain from 1987 to 1990.

Moses was elected Grand Chief in 1984 and has spoken around the world about Indigenous rights and tolerance. He has received two honorary Doctorates of Law and has played an active role in international Indigenous affairs.

He helped the James Bay Crees gain recognition as a non-governmental organization with consultative status at the United Nations and has served as the Cree Ambassador to the UN. He was also involved in the Paix des Braves, a peace agreement with the Quebec government led by Premier Bernard Landry. The paix des Braves, described as a nation-to-nation accord after long disputes, moved many payments from the Quebec government to the Cree government as part of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

The agreement provides about 77 million dollars per year to Cree communities for 45 years, indexed to electricity, mineral, and forestry revenues. In the future, these payments are to be partly replaced by a Cree Heritage Fund, which will invest 15% of the current payments. The Cree communities approved the Paix des Braves in referendums with more than 65% turnout.

In 2003, Moses supported the re-election of Bernard Landry’s Parti Québécois in Quebec, and Landry invited him to his wedding in 2004. During the 2004 federal election campaign, Moses suggested the Bloc Québécois could defend Indigenous rights at the federal level, while stopping short of formal endorsement. In 2005, Moses ran for Grand Chief again but was defeated, receiving 31.9% in the first round and 43.3% in the second round. He is remembered as a prominent Cree leader and advocate for Indigenous rights.