Marco Bacon
Chair
Marco Bacon, Chairman of the Board of Directors is from the Pekuakamiulnutsh of Mashteuiatsh. He holds a master’s degree in arts and a bachelor’s degree in arts education from the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC). Mr. Bacon held the position of director of the Centre des Premières Nations Nikanite of the UQAC. Today he is Director of the Office of Inclusion and student Success (BIRÉ) at UQAM. He is also co-founder of the First Peoples Innovation Center.
Claudette Dumont-Smith
Vice-Chair
Claudette Dumont Smith is a member of the Kitigan Zibi community, where she worked for several years as a community health representative and community health nurse, respectively, before moving to the National Capital Region. In 2018, she was appointed Special Ministerial Representative to address inequalities in the Indian Act, and she recently assumed the position of Co-Chair of the federal working sub-group, collaborating with other sub-groups to develop a national action plan in response to the “Calls for Justice” from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1991 and a Master of Public Administration in 2000 from Queen’s University. She has lived in Gatineau for several years and understands the realities of urban Indigenous life.
Alexandre Bacon
Secretary
A member of the Innu community of Mastheuiatsh, Alexandre Bacon specializes in issues of Indigenous governance. He has a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in Indigenous self-determination and works as a strategic advisor for Indigenous organizations. He is also a co-founder of the First Peoples Innovation Centre.
Ricky G. Fontaine
Interim Treasurer
Innu from Uashat mak Mani-utenam, Mr. Fontaine has an academic background in management, finance and corporate governance. He has held numerous high-level executive positions in national, regional and local organizations in the private, public, parapublic and nongovernmental sectors. Mr. Fontaine directs his own consulting firm specializing in the management and analysis of government policies on Indigenous matters and economic development.
Bertrand Duclos
Board Member
An economist by training, Mr. Duclos has also developed strong expertise in regional development. He was also heavily involved in social causes. Mr. Duclos worked for several years as an economist for the Outaouais and Abitibi regions as well as for various ministries. Mr. Duclos has held positions as Regional Director and National Executive Director at the Federal administration level. Mr. Duclos was also a lecturer at Université du Québec en Outaouais. In his retirement, Mr. Duclos worked as a management consultant and sits on several Boards of Directors.
Élaisa Uqittuq
Board Member
Élaisa Uqittuq has played a central role in advising entrepreneurs and Inuit organizations on issues related to work and intercultural dynamics. She has also facilitated the integration of Inuit into mining companies in Northern Quebec. As the supervisor of Inuit employment and training advisors at the CRI, she works closely with various departments to strengthen the recruitment of Inuit employees and ensure the implementation of training programs dedicated to this community.