Dispatches
Northern Lights 2012
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is proud to be a Diamond Sponsor of Northern Lights 2012. This is a business and cultural showcase that brings together Inuit leaders, organizations, artists, and performers. It is one of Canada’s most unique north-south international networking opportunities.
Held this year at the new Ottawa Convention Centre February 1-4, the event will host daily workshops, discussion panels, and a public trade show on Saturday, Fenruary 4th.
On the morning of Friday February 3rd Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Mary Simon will deliver a breakfast keynote address on the the key role of partnership with Inuit in exploring and fostering economic growth across Inuit Nunangat.
Share Your Story
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) are seeking Inuit men who have survived cancer to participate in a video series of personal cancer experiences.
Learn from others who faced the same struggles and share your own story so that it may inspire others.
National Forum
From January 31st – February 1st ITK staff will be participating in the Aboriginal Human Resources Initiative (AHHRI) national forum focusing on knowledge translation and dissemination on current and past projects involving AHHRI.
The forum is designed to promote successful efforts to increase the number of Aboriginal health professionals, share information on successful cultural competency projects, and to identify the impact AHHRI has had on national health policy development.
Polar Lines - Inuit Editorial Cartoon Exhibition Unveiled!
"Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is pleased to have worked with Terry Mosher - Aislin - of the Montreal Gazette to create our exhibition of editorial cartoons. The 100 cartoons are organized in 10 thematic panels, and span 50 years of Canadian history. We thank the editorial cartoonists working for newspapers across Canada for their submissions.
Gil Purcell Memorial Journalism Scholarship for Aboriginal Canadians
Established in 1990 in memory of Gillis Purcell, this $4,000 scholarship is designed to encourage Aboriginal Canadians to enter the field of journalism. The scholarship includes an offer of summer employment at The Canadian Press or one of its affiliated companies.
Students must either be enrolled in a journalism program or actively involved in a volunteer capacity with a student newspaper or broadcast station.
Many influential Inuit leaders, including Mary Simon and Jose Kusugak, began their careers in journalism – eligible Inuit currently working in this field are encouraged to apply.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s Inuit Qaujisarvingat (The Inuit Knowledge Centre) seeks to ensure that Inuit and Inuit knowledge play an active role in research and policy development on the regional, national, and international levels.
In this National Geographic interview ITK staff member Martin Lougheed makes the case for a synthesis of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit traditional knowledge) and western science to help better understand, and find solutions to, the significant climatic changes affecting Inuit Nunangat.
World Suicide Prevention Day
It's a five year tradition now in Ottawa to "Celebrate Life" with Inuit on Parliament Hill to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day. Download this invitation and join National Inuit Youth President Jennifer Watkins and special guests to mark this special day on Friday September 9, 2011 at 12:15pm.
National Strategy on Inuit Education
Mary Simon is pleased to introduce First Canadians, Canadians First: The National Strategy on Inuit Education. The Strategy is a blueprint for the education system we want. It is a 21th century vision for our children’s future.
Our objective is nothing less than to graduate children confident in the Inuit language and culture and capable of contributing with pride to the emerging opportunities in Canada’s Arctic.
Mary Simon: Inuit & Social Justice
On Tuesday, May 24th, ITK President Mary Simon delivered a speech to Ryerson University titled "Inuit and Social Justice".
The presentation centered around the gaps in living conditions and services between Inuit and southern Canadians, the necessity of baseline levels of basic needs, and ensuring that those basic levels are met across our country.
"From the perspective of Inuit, a full, focused and lively discussion on social rights and a Social Charter would be timely and welcome."
Inuit Applaud New Federal Cabinet
May 18, 2011 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Inuit leader Mary Simon congratulates the appointment of today’s new federal cabinet ministers, and acknowledges another remarkable moment in Canadian political history with the inclusion of two Aboriginal Cabinet Ministers.
Joint ITK/ICC Release * Canadian Inuit Welcome US Support to Import Legally Hunted Polar Bear Skins
Ottawa, Ontario – Tuesday May 17, 2011 - Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Canada welcomed the support signaled by members of a U.S. House subcommittee on natural resources to pass a Bill (H.R. 991) that would allow for the importation of 41 legally hunted Polar Bear skins. The specimens have been held in storage in Canada since the U.S. listed Polar Bears as Threatened on its Endangered Species Act (ESA) 3 years ago.
Students On Ice Scholarship
Students – if you have not heard about this scholarship opportunity at school, there is less than one week left to apply for the trip of a lifetime.
During ITK’s 40th Anniversary, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Students on Ice have partnered to provide a scholarship for an Inuit student to attend this summer’s expedition to the Arctic. Download this form and apply before May 4th.
Good luck.
An Open Letter To The Party Leaders
Submitted by Mary Simon on Wed, 2011-04-13 14:11
Let me begin by offering each of you my thanks for speaking with Canadians during yesterday evening’s debate and sharing with us your views on several key national issues. Such broadcast events are crucial for Inuit because they are among the few opportunities we have to hear directly from party leaders.
Indeed, the four ridings in which Inuit primarily live are so large that voters in many communities can’t be assured of seeing their local candidates during the short campaign period.
So I found it especially disappointing that there was no real discussion last night about the Arctic and the substantial challenges Inuit face today. And no real winner for Inuit.
Inuit applaud Icelandic support for WTO challenge to EU seal ban
Monday April 11, 2011 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Inuit Leader Mary Simon, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, praised the Icelandic government for its decision to join Canada and Norway in challenging the European Union’s trade ban on seal products before a World Trade Organization dispute panel.
World TB Day
March 24th of each year has been designated World TB Day. It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced the discovery of the cause of tuberculosis. It is a day to build public awareness regarding a disease that remains epidemic in much of the developing world and that results the death of several million people each year.
The rate of TB for Inuit Nunangat is more than 150 times the rate of Canadian born non-Aboriginal people. This is a rate that is comparable to, and in some cases exceeds, that found in some developing nations. At a time when the national rate of this disease is declining the rate among Inuit has doubled.
Tuberculosis it is a disease of poverty and the reason for the unacceptably high rate of infection in Inuit communities can be traced in very large part to the social determinants of health which include inadequate housing, food insecurity, and poor access to healthcare.