Inuit Serve Notice They Will Oppose Pipeline Unless Land Claims Settled First

From a January 12, 1976 media release

Unless their outstanding land claims are settled first, the Inuit of Canada will resist any pipleline project in their territory just a vigorously as the Indians of the western Arctic are resisting the proposed MacKenzie Valley gas pipeline.

That notice was served by John Amagoalik, director of land claims for Inuit Tapirisat (Eskimo Brotherhood) of Canada during a weekend conference on northern development at Trent University, Peterborough, Ont.

Some Canadians may have the impression that Inuit won’t resist development as strongly as the Indians are now doing, he said, “Well, I’ve got news for them.”
Mr Amagoalik was discussing recent developments in the High Arctic – a major oil discovery on Cameron Island which raises the possibility of tanker traffic on the northern seas, and the prospects of the Polar Gas consortium soon being ready to propose building a pipeline from the Arctic islands to southern Canada.

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Inuit Tapirisat, the Inuit Brotherhood of the Northwest Territories, and the Metis and Non-Status Indian Association, take basically the same position. They are not opposed to development. But they want their land claims to be settled first, so they can have a say in the way development takes place.

The Inuit position on resource development in Inuit Nunangnat has changed little over the years.

Inuit are not opposed to resource development, we do however expect that any resource development development will take place in consultation with the people who will be affected, respect our culture and values, and that it will benefit to our people.