Mandy Gull-Masty

Early Days

Mandy Gull-Masty was born in 1980 in Waswanipi, part of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi (see also First Nations in Quebec). The town of 1,400 people, located in central Quebec, was founded in the late 1970s as part of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Her mother worked as a secretary at the band office.

Gull-Masty grew up knowing and respecting Eeyou (Cree) culture and history. Her family practised the traditional art of beaded jewellery. She began House of Eeyou, offering locally created jewellery and fashions that celebrated the people, land, animals and traditional Eeyou culture.

Gull-Masty studied at Concordia University in Montreal. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 2006. Two years later she earned a second degree in Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies, a program designed to prepare graduates to become engaged in policy-making processes in the private or public sectors.

Following graduation, Gull-Masty founded a management consulting company called Kapatakun Consulting. It was Canada’s first management consultant company owned by a Cree woman.

Political Leadership

In 2014, Mandy Gull-Masty was elected deputy chief of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi (see also First Nations in Quebec). In 2017, she was elected deputy chief of the Grand Council of the Crees/Cree Nation Government (Eeyou Istchee). Grand Council of the Crees/Cree Nation Government (Eeyou Istchee) serves the 18,000 Eeyou (Cree) whose home is the 400,000 square km in northern Quebec called Eeyou Istchee — the People’s Land. Her primary responsibilities as deputy chief included finance, administration, housing and mining negotiations.

She was part of the negotiating team that forged a $4.7-billion deal with the Quebec government in February 2020. The deal included the building of a new railway, the electrification of industrial projects, the sharing of infrastructure, and more initiatives to boost economic development in Eeyou Istchee. The deal also included the permanent protection of 20 per cent of Eeyou traditional territory (see Indigenous Territory). While happy with the deal, Gull-Masty said improved communication was needed so community members could better understand its terms and goals.

In 2021, Gull-Masty ran for grand chief, promising to focus on governance, language and culture, and economic issues. She earned 64 per cent of the vote and became the first woman to be elected grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees/Cree Nation Government (Eeyou Istchee). Gull-Masty’s decisions as grand chief were informed by her being a strong environmentalist with a commitment to respecting traditional culture and protecting the land.

Among her priorities was the introduction of new decision-making processes to increase transparency and community engagement. Under her leadership, the council introduced long-term reviews to encourage young people to involve themselves in community matters and to strengthen relationships with other First Nations and the Quebec government.

Gull-Masty was among the Indigenous leaders who welcomed Pope Francis when he travelled to Canada in July 2022 to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system. She saw the apology as a first step, saying, “The Pope did make an apology, but he needs to do more work to understand the colonial impact of what the residential school system did to Indigenous peoples.”

Federal Cabinet

In the spring of 2025, Mandy Gull-Masty was asked by the Liberal Party of Canada to become its candidate in the huge northern Quebec riding of Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou. In the 28 April 2025 federal election, she won 41.2 per cent of the vote, defeating a two-term Bloc Québécois incumbent. She became the first Eeyou (Cree) woman to represent the riding in the House of Commons.

In May, Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Gull-Masty to the Cabinet as minister of Indigenous Services Canada, the first Indigenous person to serve in that position. She took her oath in English, French and Cree. Among her first actions was to restart a stalled legislative process with the introduction of Bill S-2 into the Senate. The bill addresses long-standing problems with the Indian Act regarding Indian Status and band membership. Included in these issues is the loss of status as a result of earning a university degree. Minister Gull-Masty said, “As Minister of Indigenous Services, eliminating gender-based inequities and colonial legacies in the Indian Act is a responsibility I take seriously.”

Myriad challenges face Gull-Masty as she continues her work in this position. Indigenous Services Canada is responsible for addressing child welfare reform, ensuring all First Nation communities have access to clean drinking water, and continuing efforts to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Personal Life

Mandy Gull-Masty is married and has four children.