NUNAVUT - A federal minister issued a formal apology on Wednesday to the Inuit of Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay for stranding them in the High Arctic in the 1950s without adequate support.

From left, relocatee Larry Audlaluk; Mayor of Inukjuak Sar- ollie Weetaluktuk, President of Makivik Corporation Pita Aatami and Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development John Duncan meet in Inukjuak, Que., during Duncan's visit Aug. 18. - photo courtesy of Graham Hughes/INAC

"The Government of Canada apologizes for having relocated Inuit families and recognizes that the High Arctic relocation resulted in extreme hardship and suffering for the Inuit who were relocated," stated John Duncan, the recently appointed minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, in a press release.

"We deeply regret the mistakes and broken promises of this dark chapter of our history."

Duncan visited Inukjuak, Que., Aug. 18 to issue the apology in person.

In the early 1950s, 19 Inuit families from Inukjuak were moved to the High Arctic from their home of comparatively lush vegetation to form the communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord. Families were also relocated from Pond Inlet in an attempt to help the Inukjuak Inuit adapt to the harsh conditions. They were told that, if they wanted to, they could return home after two years – a promise the government did not live up to.

According to a Government of Canada document, the areas where the Inuit were moved were on average 20 degrees colder than Inukjuak, and the weather was much more severe. The families spent their first winter living in tents without adequate food and supplies with no support from the government.

Many residents of Resolute Bay were out on the land when the apology took place, according to Duncan Walker, senior administrative officer for Resolute Bay.

"I haven't heard too many people talking about it but I'm sure they are in their homes," said Walker.

"I know that they've been waiting for this for a very long time."

Walker said he has, however, heard some comments from people who don't live in the community, wondering why the announcement was made in Inukjuak and not at the High Arctic communities where the surviving relocatees and their descendants still live.

Duncan is expected to attend the unveiling of monuments commissioned by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. commemorating the relocations in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord on Sept. 8 and Sept. 10 respectively.

In a statement, Premier Eva Aariak said Duncan's apology "paid tribute to the relocatees for their perseverance and courage, and for contributing to a strong presence in the North."

"It is my great hope that these long-awaited words from the federal government will help to heal the pain still felt by so many," she stated. "My thoughts are with them, their families, and those who are no longer with us today to hear these words of apology."

In a statement released on Wednesday, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Paul Kaludjak said "the first years in the High Arctic for the relocated Inuit were desperate times of survival.

"Despite promises made by the Government of Canada, the resources were not plentiful and even through the Inuit struggled they were not allowed to return home as originally promised by the government."

He said their survival is "a testament to Inuit ingenuity and perseverance" and welcomed the apology, hoping it would bring some relief to the surviving members of the families.

In 1996, the federal government provided the High Arctic Relocatee Trust (HART) with $10 million to be paid out to victims of the High Arctic relocation. Two million dollars of that money was paid out to beneficiaries in the first two years and the other $8 million was invested.

But in recent years, the trust can no longer afford to pay its own administrative costs, nor has it been able to distribute money to beneficiaries. Trustees are asking a Quebec judge to amend the trust's deed so they will be able to dip into the trust's capital to pay expenses during years when investments don't produce money and are also asking for $3 million for a one-time payout to original relocatees.

--with files from Kassina Ryder

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