The Arctic Summit And The Inuit Track Record

Yesterday foreign Ministers from Canada the United States, Russia, Norway, and Denmark, met in Chelsea, Quebec to discuss Arctic issues such as search and rescue capabilities, oil-spill cleanup capabilities, and maritime shipping regulations. Although Inuit are most affected by the topics discussed we were not invited to sit at the table.

A statement issued following the meeting by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham-Clinton said

"Significant international discussions on Arctic issues should include those who have legitimate interests in the region. And I hope the Arctic will always showcase our ability to work together, not create new divisions,"

Secretary of State Rodham-Clinton was talking about other Arctic states and Indigenous Peoples that had not been invited to the conference. This omission is not good news especially when Inuit stand ready, willing, and able, to work on Arctic issues with whatever government is in power in Canada - indeed we have a long history of doing so.

Evidence of that would be ample even if one only looked at the various land claims agreements that Inuit have negotiated and signed with the Federal government over the years, however there is much more than that.

On the international stage Inuit, through the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), are permanent participants in the Arctic Council since its inception in 1986, and both ICC and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami are involved with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). As well, ICC International has Consultative Status with the United Nations since 1983 as well as being a member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples under ECOSOC since 2000.

Recently in Doha, Qatar, at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Inuvialuit Games Council, and the Nunatsiavut Government, were on the Government of Canada delegation during negotiations regarding a US proposal to put Polar Bear on the endangered list (appendix 1) which ultimately got defeated in a vote by the delegates of the CITIES Convention.

In all four Inuit regions we work with regional, territorial, provincial, and federal governments on wildlife co-management issues through regionally specific wildlife management boards.

These are but a few many other examples of Inuit working cooperatively, successfully, and productively with the Government of Canada and the international community on a wide range of issues. All we request is meaningful participation at the table to take part in discussions that will have a significant impact us as a people and our way of life.

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