The G7 In Iqaluit

In a few days the finance ministers of the seven wealthiest countries in the world will sit down in Iqaluit, Nunavut to discuss world finance and the future role of the group. We can't think of a better place to hold such a meeting.

Our Inuit homeland is at the national centre of issues such as climate change and Arctic sovereignty. I believe it is beneficial to us that the international community see firsthand the people and places they discuss at meetings. Prime Minister Harper is to be congratulated for providing the international community this opportunity. It is my hope that after a personal experience there this week-end Inuit Nunangat will become more than simply a remote place with culturally different people in the minds of the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Britain and Japan.

That said, it should be remembered that Iqaluit is not a "typical Arctic community". The vast majority of our hometowns do not have large airports, paved roads, a sidewalk system, multiple hotels and stores, high rise apartment buildings, high speed Internet, or conference centres large enough to handle a meeting of this nature. They are small, sometimes numbering only hundreds of people not thousands. They have small airports where jets cannot land. The tallest building is only two stories high, and there may well be only one store for people to purchase groceries and clothing. Those groceries, and clothing, are far more expensive than anything many of the G7 finance ministers have ever encountered before.

As they are in the neighbourhood, I would encourage members of the delegation and the press to branch out a bit and visit communities such as Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung where there are vibrant Inuit artistic communities flourishing. They should plan a trip to Arctic Bay or Resolute Bay (or both) and meet Inuit who live alongside, and depend upon, the Northwest Passage. For those people the Passage is far more than simply a convenient shortcut between Asia and Europe.

I would also suggest that on their way south they stop off in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik (Northern Quebec) and meet Inuit in my home community. Like Iqaluit to the north, Kuujjuaq is not a "typical" Nunavik community but like any northern community it has much to offer, and to teach, the international community.

Unlike the various finance ministers travelling there this week I know that it is difficult (if not impossible) for most people to travel to the places I've mentioned. In fact it is more economical for Canadians to visit Europe, or Hong Kong, than it is to visit the Northwest Passage. Fortunately, however, we have the Internet, and that is a good starting place.

We maintain a YouTube channel where informative video clips from, and about, Inuit, the Arctic, and the various issues facing both can be viewed. And Isuma TV has done a more than commendable job in presenting Inuit and our culture to the world on their website. I encourage anyone interested in our people, or our homeland, to visit those websites.

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