In the early 1970s, each Cree community was administered by a band council under the Indian Act. Each band council had two salaried positions, the secretary and the band manager. The chief and the other elected members of the band council were paid based on time spent in meetings and assemblies. These positions gave their holders a certain prestige but little authority, as political power depended on consensus of the members of the band. In addition, the responsibilities of the council were limited because most administrative decisions were made by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).

Construction of the La Grande complex, implementation of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement (JBNQA) and adoption of the Cree-Naskapi (of Québec) Act (1984) brought a series of changes for the Crees. The creation of local and regional administrative bodies gave them new powers within their communities and in neighbouring territories as well as new levers for economic development.

The Cree communities are now managed by band councils under the Cree-Naskapi (of Québec) Act (1984). On Category IA lands, the band councils can adopt bylaws for the following areas:

• Administration and internal management
• Building regulations
• Health and sanitation
• Public order and safety
• Environmental protection
• Pollution prevention
• Monitoring and restriction of nuisances
• Local taxation (excluding income tax)
• Local services Roads, traffic and transportation
• Business operations and trade
• Parks and recreation

The band councils have administrative departments that look after cultural matters, public works, housing, youth, civil protection, recreation and economic development. The economic development departments help private companies get established. The band councils also manage companies on behalf of the community either directly or through economic development corporations. The band councils are large employers. The Eastmain Band Council, for example, employs about one hundred people; that’s about half the jobs in the village.

Each community has a council of elders that represents the interests of the elderly and provides counselling in their name. The elderly are consulted mainly by the cultural departments and schools, given their knowledge of Cree traditions and land use. They are sometimes asked by social services to counsel people in difficulty.