QAUSUITTUQ/RESOLUTE - Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an unexpected apology to several High Arctic exiles while briefly visiting Resolute last week.

In the community to inspect military and coast guard exercises as part of Operation Nanook, Harper gathered eight of the original High Arctic exiles in a hotel meeting room to extend the government's regret for relocating the families in the 1950s.

Louisa Gillespie, who was a small child when she landed in Resolute, described the meeting with Harper as being "so relaxed she forgot to get nervous."

Gillespie said she felt completely satisfied with the apology.

"It felt so sincere" she said.

Dora Pudluk agreed.

"We have waited so long and suffered so much pain," Pudluk said. "It feels so good to have some of that burden lifted."

Susan Salluviniq, whose family is originally from Pond Inlet, brought the exiles' story to the attention of the prime minister at a meeting in 2007 while she was mayor of Resolute. She said, "This (apology) will make such a difference in our town. Already we can feel the atmosphere getting lighter. Now we can continue the work of healing and get on with our lives."

In August 1953, a small group of Inuit from Inukjuak, in Northern Quebec, boarded the coast guard ship C.D. Howe to begin a journey that would forever change their lives and the lives of the families they left behind.

Although this took place well over 50 years ago, the High Arctic relocations from Inukjuak and Pond Inlet to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord lingered as a source of controversy and pain.

Some would argue the government's intentions were to improve the lives of Inuit. Others insist the Inuit were used as "human flagpoles" so the Canadian government could establish ownership of the High Arctic.

Whatever the motivation, the result was that many people - those who were relocated, those who were left behind and the generations that followed - have suffered and continue to suffer from the move.

Indian and Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan offered an apology similar to Harper's to the people of Inukjuak on Aug. 18. Some of the Resolute and Grise Fiord exiles had been in attendance for that event. This time, though, the message was delivered in person by the nation's leader himself.

Also present at the Aug. 18 private apology in Resolute were George Eckalook, Simeonie Amarualik, Larry Audlaluk, Allie Salluviniq, and Paul Amagualik, who was born on the C.D. Howe.

In the apology, the Government of Canada said, in part, "The relocation of Inuit families to the High Arctic is a tragic chapter in Canada's history that we should not forget, but that we must acknowledge, learn from and teach our children."

Harper, who was joined by Duncan and Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, made time for each of the exiles to tell some of their story. Pudluk said "everybody was given a chance to speak; everyone was heard."

Duncan is expected to return to Resolute on Sept. 8 to deliver the official apology publicly and to be on hand for the unveiling of a High Arctic exiles memorial sculpture, created by renowned carver Simeonie Amarualik. The carving will stand near the site where the relocatees originally landed.

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