President's Speaking Tour * Fredericton Rotary Club * Monday March 30, 2009 * Sovereignty Begins at Home

Ladies and Gentlemen….

 

I am very pleased to be here today at the Fredericton Rotary Club.

 

I want to thank you for coming out to hear about a topic that, in my travels across Canada, I have found to be of great interest to many Canadians – that is the future of our Canadian Arctic and its peoples.

 

As you heard in the kind introduction, I am the President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, or ITK. We are the national voice for Inuit in Canada. In English, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami means “Inuit are united in Canada”.

 

Our work at ITK focuses on ensuring that Inuit interests are understood and reflected in national policy making affecting the Arctic.

 

 

I have been travelling the country over the past two years delivering what I hope is a compelling message about the increasing importance of Canada’s Arctic to Canada’s collective identity.

 

I use the phrase – the Arctic and its peoples – because it’s important for everyone to understand that for us, the Arctic environment and the Inuit are always viewed as an inseparable whole.

 

Since my speeches out west last fall, much has changed on the political front. Much has also changed on the economic front. It is my hope that the excitement and promise of change generated by the election and inauguration of President Obama will continue to work its way into the political process here at home and abroad.

 

When I saw President Obama and our Governor General walking together across the tarmac at the Ottawa airport, I thought - “Who could have ever imagined this even 10 years ago”?

 

I think we need the hope personified by Obama in tackling the economic recession that has gripped our nation and those around us. We ARE all in this together. Perhaps this “economic time-out” will allow us to reflect on what really matters in our personal, and collective lives as citizens of Canada, and as global citizens too.

 

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Permit me now a few moments for some background information about myself and the organization and people I represent.

 

Long before Canada became a geopolitical place on the map, Inuit lived nomadically in what is now the Canadian Arctic, from Labrador in the east, to Tuktoyaktuk in the west.

 

Today Inuit lands are spread across two provinces and territories. We organize ourselves into four regions – Nunatsiavut in northern Labrador, Nunavik in northern Quebec, Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit region in the Northwest Territories.

 

Speaking of which, April 1^st 2009 will mark the 10^th anniversary of the creation of the Nunavut Territory. This was followed by the more recent creation of the Nunatsiavut Government here in the east. These new governments reflect the Inuit spirit of inclusiveness and desire to work within partnership arrangements.

 

There are some 55,000 Inuit living in 53 communities ranging in population of 3,000 to as small as 200.

 

Unlike many First Nation communities, Inuit do not live on reserves. We have chosen municipal status. And one in five Inuit now live in southern cities.

 

Our Arctic homeland comprises one third of Canada’s land mass and 50% of its shoreline. So, we are a small number of people with deep historical roots and attachment to an enormous part of this country.

 

The cost of living is staggering. I can fly economy class at least twice from Ottawa to Hong Kong for the same price as flying from Ottawa to Pond Inlet on north Baffin Island. Essential foods and commodities are also very expensive.

This jug of milk cost $12.99 when this photo was taken in Rankin Inlet three years ago. It now costs $15.99.

 

My generation has lived extraordinary lives in modern Canadian terms. Most Inuit my age began their lives as I did, living a very traditional lifestyle. We spoke our mother tongue, Inuktitut, travelled by dog team and canoes, and had to hunt, fish and gather most of our food.

 

As a young girl I lived with my family in Kangiqsualujjuaq and Kuujjuaq, northern Quebec. Often we lived on the land, in tents and log cabins. I learned about life and the universe around me from my grandmother and parents through legends and stories about our past.

 

Today, only a few decades later, we find ourselves in many ways living a modern Canadian lifestyle, with cell phones, computers and iPods. The pace of change in our lives has been breath-taking and has few parallels in the developed world. At the same time, we have maintained a strong attachment to our culture and our land-based traditions.

 

We are as strongly Canadian as we are Inuit. We follow hockey standings as closely as everyone else, some of our young people are serving in Afghanistan, and next year we will gather in six Inuit communities, with flags waving, as the Olympic Torch travels through the Canadian Arctic. ITK has a very important coordinating role to include Inuit at the games, and in recruiting Inuit torchbearers.

 

In only a few short years our Canadian Arctic has gone from an occasional mention in Canadian public policy discussions, to the centre of national and international debates surrounding sovereignty, climate change, and continental energy supply.

 

I was pleased to hear the government of Canada intends to rejuvenate the role of the Arctic Council. In addition, Inuit are seeking the reinstatement of Canada’s Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, which would provide an ongoing high level participation for Canada at the Arctic Council.

 

Far too many times, however, media attention is also drawn to the conditions playing out in our families and communities. Suicides, violent deaths and substance abuse are at record levels. We are reeling from these realities and struggling to find solutions and a path forward.

 

For many years our political challenges as Inuit focused around the negotiations of our land claim agreements. Happily, I can report to you today that all four of our Inuit regions now have settled land claims.

 

Land claims agreements have provided us with an array of tools for determining our own future within Canada. It is now up to us to hone those tools and use them wisely.

 

Our land claims are all about the sharing of rights and responsibilities. As I mentioned earlier, our self-governing arrangements are inclusive. All of our land and resource management regimes are based on co-management and partnership with governments and other affected groups.

 

These land claims agreements are protected in the Canadian Constitution.

 

With the conclusion of our fifth and final land claim agreement in 2008 – the offshore region surrounding Quebec and northern Labrador – we have now turned our attention to today’s many challenges.

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It is for this reason, that I am here today… to explain to you why the health of the Canadian Arctic… and Canadian Inuit …are a measure of how we are doing as a nation.

 

My great fear in this time of economic uncertainty is that the most vulnerable members of our Canadian society will be put at risk. Sadly this has been a characteristic of past crises.

 

I would argue that Inuit and other aboriginal peoples are among the vulnerable members of Canadian society. We cannot let the current economic turmoil distract us from our responsibilities to the Arctic and its peoples.

 

Take for example, climate change.

 

The urgency surrounding mitigating the impacts of climate change grows with the almost daily news of unprecedented developments in our Arctic environment.

When US explorer Robert Peary mounted an expedition to the Arctic in 1906 he estimated that the Ellesmere Island Ice Shelf was less than 9,000 square kilometers. Today the largest piece left is less than 900 square kilometers!

 

Put simply, the Arctic is melting, with dramatic consequences for all of us.

 

The ability to adapt has never been more important for Inuit than it is today. Environmental changes - of all kinds - are coming at a rate and to an extent that may exceed the threshold of Arctic peoples’ capacity to respond. Yet, Inuit are not content to be portrayed as the victims of climate variability and change. We want the opportunity to be part of the solution.

 

A massive deployment of political and capital investment towards mitigation is required. The world needs to reduce and capture carbon emissions. As a planet, we cannot adapt to unconstrained carbon emissions.

 

 

Successful adaptation to difficult circumstances in large part defines who we are as Inuit. We are shouldering the many immediate impacts of global warming. The geopolitics of greenhouse gas mitigation is constantly shifting. It is urgent that Inuit define a way forward in this uncertain and rapidly evolving context.

 

As a result of what humans have already done to alter the composition of the atmosphere, there are some climate change impacts that are now inevitable well into the future. It is for this reason that many of the worlds leading scientists and policy makers are stating that our planet is close to its tipping point – the point of no return.

 

We will continue to support and lobby for regional, national and international efforts to curb carbon emissions, understanding that ultimately this is a planetary crisis. I take hope in the new US administration’s overtures in this regard.

 

Canadian public policy has so far failed to achieve any workable consensus to the challenge of climate change. Indeed, Canada's emissions have not declined, but rather have grown by more than 20% since 1990.

Each and every day that goes by pumps more greenhouse gas emissions into the air. We need real action on required emissions cuts. Careful planning, and genuine consultation, particularly in the Arctic, will always be essential. But we can no longer delay action.

 

Our efforts to foster sustainable economic growth and environmental performance must be made mutually reinforcing. The real threat to economic well-being is uncertainty. Investors will not be encouraged within Canada, or attracted to Canada, if they have little confidence as to what Canada will do in relation to fundamental policy choices surrounding climate change.

 

Inuit are seeking to define climate change priorities, considering linkages between adaptation and mitigation, and specific topics relevant to the Canadian Arctic.

 

 

 

 

The reality that exists in many of our Arctic communities calls into question one of our core Canadian values – social justice. And yet, this has not made it to the forefront of policy discussions.

 

Inuit children have significantly lower educational outcomes than other Canadians. Our housing conditions remain well below the Canadian standards. Our health indicators continue to lag behind the rest of Canada. Substance abuse plagues our families and communities. And the suicide rate is 11 times the Canadian average – most being young people.

 

Is this acceptable?

 

I was in the House of Commons along with other Aboriginal leaders, to receive the Prime Minister’s apology for the horrors and systemic consequences of the residential school system. At the time, I did caution that the legacy of this apology would be measured in the future actions of government.

 

I firmly believe that the journey for preparing Inuit for the future must focus on building an education system based on Inuit culture and values.

 

For many years now, I have been working to promote the needs and realities of the Arctic’s children and youth. I firmly believe that without focused, responsible efforts we are at the threshold of a social catastrophe. With such efforts we can harness the enormous potential of our youth and direct it towards a positive outcome.

 

In March 2006, Thomas Berger was engaged to prepare a report on the state of implementation of the Nunavut Lands Claims Agreement. You may remember him as Justice Thomas Berger who headed the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry in the mid 1970s. He is one of Canada’s most thoughtful and credible observers of northern social change.

 

In his report, he concluded that Inuit will only get their fair share of jobs from resource development in the Arctic when the education system is fundamentally transformed. But the solutions must have a holistic approach.

 

In short, for Inuit to play a meaningful role in the economic development vision of the Canadian Arctic, it is critical to connect the dots between education, language, health, housing, and infrastructure.

 

As I said to the Prime Minister and now I say to you:

 

 

 

 

I am on the selection committee for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We are working towards the selection of the three new commissioners. This is important for the aboriginal peoples seeking reconciliation, and for all Canadians.

 

Being here in the Atlantic region I must also address the sealing issue and the European Union’s move towards a ban on the import of seal products.

 

For Inuit it is bewildering to witness international campaigns that vilify those who make use of seals in order to support the well-being of human communities.

 

 

I commend Canada’s Fisheries Minister when she vowed that Canada would take immediate action at the World Trade Organization if the ban is passed by the EU Parliament this spring.

 

Inuit have long championed the need for redefining domestic and international politics along the lines of genuine partnerships – and we will continue to do so.

 

Progress is occurring – and we need to embrace and build on those moments.

 

Imagine our delight last fall when the Prime Minister appointed Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq as the new Minister of Health. She is the first Inuk named to a Cabinet Post.

 

Imagine being able to speak to a federal Cabinet Minister in our own language. Imagine finally having someone who knows first hand the challenges we are facing in the Arctic as she speaks with her Cabinet colleagues.

 

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Inuit remain ready to work with Governments. We seek focused and effective partnerships aimed at stimulating social and economic growth in the Arctic.

 

In my comments to government, and I work with whatever party is in power, I am encouraging a commitment to an effective, integrated Arctic strategy. One that includes federal departments and agencies, provincial and territorial governments and aboriginal organizations. One that is set around a common vision of the Arctic – a vision that nurtures its people, respects cultural diversity and promotes the sustainable development of natural resources.

 

Part of this strategy must be a commitment to implement our land claims agreements promptly and fairly. As the Auditor-General has reported to Parliament, the spirit and intent of these agreements are not being lived up to.

 

I will continue to make sure that Inuit are ready themselves to be active and responsible partners in collaborative strategies to improve the health and education and infrastructure in our Arctic communities.

 

This week on Thursday, I expect to sign an Inuit Education Accord with governments and regional school boards. The Accord will formalize an agreement regarding the fundamental premise that graduating more of our children is fundamental to improving our social conditions.

 

I encourage Canadians to put high expectations on government to define its Arctic policies on the basis of a respectful and permanent partnership with the Inuit of Canada.

 

 

I call upon all parties to support the Prime Minister calling a First Ministers Conference including Aboriginal leaders to work on a blueprint to close the gaps in living conditions between Inuit and most other Canadians within a 10 year period.

 

I hold great hope that Canada can become a model to the world on climate change by demonstrating how public policy can strengthen economic and environmental performance. Canada’s role is critical in bringing the international community to a stronger consensus on the best path forward.

 

I’ve asked all parties to support additional federal funding for the construction and operation of Mental Health Centers for the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse and other mental health conditions among Inuit in the Arctic

 

I seek all party support to make the Inuit Language the primary working language in the Arctic, and more federal funding support for the Inuit language at a level at the least - as generous as that provided to Francophone and Anglophone minorities in the Arctic.

 

And finally, I invite those Canadians who are new to the issues of the Arctic to inform themselves about Inuit and their unique contributions to our country.

 

I encourage you to visit our website and download the strategic documents we have submitted to the government of Canada.

 

And when you develop your opinion on the issues I raised today, please discuss within your own sphere of influence, to make your views known to your local, regional, and national politicians.

 

I thank you for your interest and your attendance here today and will be pleased to take questions.