Matthew Coon Come is of Eeyou ancestry and remains rooted in the culture, customs, traditions and values of his Nation. He is the son of a hunter, husband to Maryann, father to five children and grandfather to five grandchildren.

He is the former Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) and the Chairperson of the Cree Regional Authority. The Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee is an Indigenous Nation with a population of about 20,000 and traditional territory to the east of James Bay in Northern Québec, Canada.

Matthew is a national and international indigenous leader and advocate for the aboriginal, treaty and other human rights of indigenous peoples in Canada and internationally. He was Grand Chief/Chairman from 1987-1999. Matthew was first elected as Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees and Chairman of the Cree Regional Authority in 1987, and served for four terms of office.

Matthew again served as Grand Chief/Chairman from 2009 – 2017. His election in July 2009 and July 2013 to the oRice of Grand Chief of the James Bay Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee and Chairperson of the Cree Regional Authority is his fifth and sixth re-election to those positions.

He was former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, the national organization of First Nations in Canada, from 2000 to 2003. He became known throughout Canada for his eRorts to end the federal policy of extinguishment of aboriginal peoples’ human rights of self-determination. Matthew has been in politics for 40 years.

In 1998, Trent University granted Matthew the degree of Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa in recognition of the significance of his work, and in 2000, the University of Toronto also awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws. He also received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 1995. For recognition of his community grassroots work to save Great Whale River Project, Matthew received in 1994 a Goldman Environmental Award from the Goldman Family. He also received the Queen Elizabeth II, Diamond Jubilee medal for recognition of his contribution to Canada.

Born in 1956 on his parents’ Mistissini Trapline, Matthew was soon recognized by the elders as a natural leader. He was asked to be coordinator for all the inland Cree communities for the negotiations with Canada that enabled the James Bay Crees to escape the Indian Act and achieve the first ever aboriginal self-government legislation in Canada, the Cree-Naskapi (of Québec) Act.

At the start of his political career, Matthew served two terms as Chief of the Mistissini First Nation. By the time he left to work with his father on his trapline, his community had a new arena, an adult education centre, a bank, new administrative offices, new health facilities, and major improvements to its housing and community infrastructure. He went on to become Executive Director of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee). He was directly involved in the Grand Council’s successful eRort to gain consultative status at the United Nations, and supported the Grand Council’s use of its international status to bring issues vital to all of the world’s indigenous peoples before the international community.

Matthew has been a Director of Aircreebec, the Cree Regional Economic Enterprises Company (Creeco), the Cree Construction Company, Servinor, the James Bay Cree Cultural Education Centre, the Centre for Indigenous Environment Resources and the Cree School Board.

Matthew is a strategic advisor to Skypower Global, who believes having universal access to clean, renewable energy is a basic human right. Skypower innovates to power a sustainable world that benefits the environment, the economy and human society.

Matthew was the Chairman of Cree Housing Corporation, responsible for implementing the housing and infrastructure program. He was the Chairman of the James Bay Eeyou Corporation, managing more than one hundred million dollars in assets. He was also Chairman of James Bay Native Development Corporation, which, under his leadership, assisted in starting up 54 businesses within the Cree Communities. In 1995, he became a founding director of the First Nations Bank of Canada.

He has served as Chairperson of the Cree Nation Trust, a social trust created for the benefit of the Cree Nation, responsible for managing and investing the capital and income of the Trust and distributing the funds in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Deed. The Cree Nation Trust is the recipient of payments from the New Relationship Agreement signed between the Government of Canada and the Cree Nation.

Matthew is also a former Chairperson of Eeyou Communication Network, a project sponsored by Grand Council of the Crees for a non-profit commercialization of broadband, with a mandate to create an electronic highway for the Crees to connect institutions, businesses and residents to the world of information and communications. Matthew is a former Vice-President and President of Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government.

Matthew studied political science, economics, native studies and courses in law at Trent and McGill Universities, and also undertook theological studies at River University in the United States following his tenure as National Chief in 2003. Matthew received his Doctor of Divinity from the River University.

Matthew has also had an active and successful business career, with participation in energy, mining, information technology and arts and crafts ventures. In 2019, Matthew was awarded the Order of Canada.

Matthew was a Director of Goldcorp, and when it merged with Newmont, he was appointed as an independent Director of Newmont. Matthew is an independent director of Seabridge Gold. Matthew is also a director with Labrador Iron Mine Limited. As an independent director, Matthew has served on the Audit Committee, Health and Safety Committee, Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and on the Sustainability Committee.

Matthew was part of the lead negotiating team that settled three Class actions dealing with Day Scholars, Band Reparations and was advisor to the Indian Boarding homes. Leadership for Matthew is a way of achieving change and a way to work towards Nation-building. Matthew had a leadership philosophy based on Cree values with an understanding that leadership requires listening to concerns, understanding the issues, gathering feedback and implementing practical solutions.