Russian senator wants to use Inuvialuit model
Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Mar 09/01) - A Russian senator says his country could learn from Canada in terms of land claims and development agencies for aboriginals.
Ilya Rozenblyum, a member of the Federation Council, was with a delegation which visited Inuvik last week as part of an international parliamentary exchange program.
With the aid of an interpreter, Rozenblyum said he likes the way aboriginals here have been given rights and responsibilities and more control over their own lives.
He used the Inuvialuit, and the Inuvialuit Development Corp., as an example.
Geoff Dubrow, program manager for the Parliamentary Centre in Ottawa, said the Russian delegation wanted to see how Northern people live in Canada.
"We looked at the Inuvialuit because they've been a real success story," Dubrow said. "We focused on their experience in economic development, the land claims agreement, all that stuff. That kind of thing doesn't really exist in Russia, so that's why we looked at it here."
Dubrow said Russia's First Nations people are called Small Numbered Peoples because they're made up of small groups interspersed throughout the North. He said the economic condition has deteriorated since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
"Most of them still live off the land, are very poor, alcoholism is very high," Dubrow said.
Rozenblyum said part of the problem is the way the Russian government currently deals with its Small Numbered Peoples.
"The old system, if you like, the opposite of what's happening to the Inuvialuit, is the government just handing out money, just enough for them to survive, but never giving them the means to succeed on their own," Rozenblyum said.
The senator said he'd like to see if the Inuvialuit model could be applied in Russia, but admitted that it wouldn't be easy to overhaul the current system.
The delegation arrived in Inuvik March 1. They toured the town and were also taken out to some of the oil and gas camps, including Swimming Point. They departed Inuvik Sunday for Yellowknife. They were there all Monday and then departed for Ottawa.
