Today in History July 16: In 2003, Phil Fontaine returned as National Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, defeating incumbent Matthew Coon Come, in a three-way leadership race. Fontaine served a three-year term as national chief of the group from 1997 to 2000. In 2007, the federal government reached a $1.4 billion agreement with the Crees of Quebec to settle decades of disputes over how the landmark James Bay agreement was to be implemented. The deal also set the stage for the creation of a Cree constitution, and future talks on regional self-government for the 16,700 Crees, most of whom live on the east coast of James and Hudson Bays. In 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of northern Ontario’s Lac Seul First Nation in…
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