Inuit ink historic deal with feds
Prime minister and ITK president partner to create joint committee
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, February 13, 2017
IQALUIT
An historic partnership has been struck between Inuit in Canada and the federal government.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed sign a declaration to create the Inuit-to-Crown Partnership Committee in Iqaluit on Feb. 9. - Beth Brown/NNSL photo |
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) president Natan Obed led in signing the Inuit Nunangat Declaration at Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) headquarters in Iqaluit on Feb. 9, during the Liberal prime minister's first trip to the territory since his coming to office.
The declaration establishes the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, a practical forum for renewing the relationship between Inuit peoples and the federal government based on respect, co-operation and recognition of rights.
"We have made a very strong commitment to work together on the issues that are priorities for Inuit," Trudeau said.
"It's all about the next steps, the concrete deliverables we are going to make in the lives of people in the North, whether it be around nutrition, access to food, housing, infrastructure, education or jobs."
The signing marked the first meeting of the new joint committee, which includes the prime minister and select federal ministers, as well as ITK, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, NTI, Makivik Corporation, and the Nunatsiavut Government. The National Inuit Youth Council, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada and Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada will act as observer members.
The committee will meet three times annually, and at least one of those sittings will be with the prime minister. The partnership follows up on a promise Trudeau made last December for federal ministers and Inuit leaders to meet regularly. This commitment was also extended to the Assembly of First Nations and to the Metis Nation in order to identify priorities and co-develop policies between parties.
"The hard part begins today," said Obed. "We are going to come together as senior officials to see how we are going to craft action on land claim implementation, on health issues, whether it is suicide prevention or tuberculosis, housing and infrastructure or language and culture."
He said a work plan and timeline will be made to measure committee progress.
"The Canadian government will always have a mandate and priorities, and Inuit organizations will have our own priorities as well, but today we have struck a partnership committee that will find our joint priority areas and work towards achieving them."
Shared priorities of social and economic development and reconciliation permeated conversation at the committee meeting.
Trudeau noted specifically that the government would work through this new committee to address historic grievances such as the treatment of patients infected with tuberculosis from the 1940s to 1960s.
"How we deal with our past, no matter how painful, will determine our ability to heal together," said Trudeau. "By taking action, we will shine a light on a dark chapter of our history, a chapter we must acknowledge and confront in order to move forward ... As I have said before, reconciliation isn't just an indigenous issue, it's a Canadian issue."
The committee also spent time discussing implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Canada. ITK released a position paper in January that flagged federal progress on this file. At that time, Obed told News/North that the Canadian government would be hard-pressed to follow through with calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commussion unless it works to not just support, but fully implement the declaration.
"(UNDRIP) is a framework that this government fully supports ... I know this is something that Canadians expect," said Trudeau. "It's really encouraging to see the fact that reconciliation is not just an issue between indigenous peoples and the Canadian government, it's one that non-indigenous Canadians feel strongly about as well."
Following the signing, Trudeau visited Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna at the legislative assembly. Although collaboration was the theme for the day, the territorial leader has recently critiqued the Liberal government for failing to consult Northern governments prior to creating a moratorium with the U.S. on offshore drilling in the Arctic.
"In conversations I've had over the past years with people in the North, people understand that we need to build a strong economy and protect the environment at the same time," said Trudeau, when questioned on the oil and gas ban.
"You can no longer make a choice between one or the other."
Trudeau finished his visit to Nunavut's capital by bringing donations to a community women's shelter and meeting with residents at a public town hall.
