The North Wants In

Today we released the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll commissioned by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) that gauges Canadian public understanding of Inuit, the Arctic, and the challenges our people face. As a people we are very proud to be associated with the 2010 Winter Olympics through the adoption of the Inuksuk as an Olympic symbol for the games. However we want to make sure that Canadians see Inuit in more than simply symbolic terms.

2010 is an opportunity to celebrate Inuit achievements but we must also recognize that there are serious disparities in living conditions between Inuit and the rest of Canada. Among other issues, Inuit life expectancy is 15 years lower than that of average Canadians, our infant mortality rates are approaching those of developing countries.

The cost of living is 3 to 4 times higher than it is in southern Canada, and the average Inuit income is half that of non-Aboriginal Canadians. We do not expect to stand on the sidelines and have others TRY TO solve our problems for us, our modern history contains a long record of consultation and cooperation that has lead to the signing of five comprehensive land claim agreements across all four of our Inuit regions.

Currently when Canadians hear about the Arctic their thoughts turn to Arctic Sovereignty. It must be about much more than that. Our people form the foundation of Canada's claim to the Arctic. It is a strong claim because of the Canadian Inuit who have lived there for thousands of years, and we do not want to be remembered only in times of sovereignty issues.

To paraphrase a slogan once used by another region of Canada, “The North Wants In”. The poll we commissioned told us many interesting things, some of them are positive, others show that there is work yet to be done.

We learned, for example that 65% of Canadians say they have a fondness for the Arctic and 74% would like to learn more about the Inuit way of life, and that 70% of Canadians oppose the European Union ban on Canadian seal products, and support the traditional Inuit seal hunting practices for cultural, economic and subsistence reasons.

Additionally we learned that a majority of Canadians know of our challenges with higher rates of infant mortality, and that Inuit rates of Tuberculosis are 90 times that of average Canadians. We also learned that 75% of Canadians are unaware that Inuit pay all taxes, including income tax, GST, and PST, and that there is a lot of confusion in the differences between who are the "Inuit", who are the "First Nations", who are the "Metis", people of Canada, and what those differences mean.

As I said, there is work yet to be done, and Inuit are prepared to do our part in educating, informing, advising, and listening to Canadians in this respect. As part of this, and just prior to the Olympics, we will be giving the nation's capital a chance to sample Inuit art, culture, and food, including seal meat, at an event called "A Taste of the Arctic" - an evening celebrating Inuit culture that will be held at the National Gallery of Canada as a fundraiser for the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation. It will include a presentation by Susan Aglukark, a performance by Taqralik Partridge, and a surprise for our special guest Peter Mansbridge.

The North wants in, we want the same standard of living, and the same opportunities, as other Canadians. In the coming year we hope to have a strong, open, and productive dialog on how to bring southern and northern Canada closer together. We also hope to help improve on another statistic the Ipsos Reid poll revealed, only 7% of Canadians have ever visited the Arctic - so while the North wants in we also want the south to come and visit.