Sovereignty Begins at Home: Inuit and the Canadian Arctic

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

 

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

 

 

Unlike many First Nation communities, Inuit do not live on reserves. We have chosen municipal status in our four regions. And one in five Inuit now live in southern cities, such as Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg and Toronto.

 

Our Arctic homeland comprises one third of Canada’s land mass and 50% of its shore line. So in relative terms, we are a very small number of people, stretched across 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, Inuktituut, traveled 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 a tents and yes, igloos. 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 continue to have 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 five Inuit communities, with flags waving, as the Olympic Torch travels through the Canadian Arctic.

 

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.

 

Far too many times, however, media attention is drawn to the social dramas 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.

 

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 challenges.

 

One of those challenges is education.

 

Inuit find themselves at a interesting point in our modern history – we live in a part of Canada that is at the forefront of sovereignty discussions, at the centre of energy supply plans, and has been the ‘canary in the coalmine’ for the global dialogue on climate change.

 

However, 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.

 

 

The reality in our communities is that Inuit children have significantly lower education outcomes than average Canadians; our housing conditions remain well below the Canadian standards; and our health indicators continue to lag behind the rest of Canada and suicide is 11 times the Canadian average – most being young people.

 

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.

 

I also believe that with focused and responsible efforts we can harness the enormous potential of our youth and direct it towards a positive outcome.

 

I am guessing that many of you are somewhat jaded with catch phrases like - youth are our future. 

 

I have been in your shoes. Some 40 years ago, in the early 1970s, I was given the enormous responsibility to represent my people in very important negotiations with governments and industrial interests. Why? – because I spoke fluent English and had received basic education.

 

I was not alone. Most of my young Inuit counterparts were there for same reason. Most of us were products of the residential school system. We were a group of wounded, angry, energized and arrogant young people convinced we could succeed.

 

And you know what – we did. We got our land claims. We amended Canada’s constitution. We did huge deals with industrial developers and we negotiated self-government arrangements.

 

None of this would have happened if our parents and communities had not believed in us.

 

This is what we need to regain – faith in the abilities and potential of our children. To mean it when we say – youth are our future.

 

I believe that responsibility begins at home - home in a Canada wide sense and home in the Inuit sense.

 

Let’s start with the broader responsibility.

 

On June 11, 2008 Canadians witnessed the historic apology delivered by the Prime Minister in Parliament. I was in the House of Commons and spoke at the time.  I said:

 

….. Let us not be lulled into an impression that when the sun rises tomorrow morning the pain and scars will miraculously be gone. They won’t.

 

 

 

 

 

Why was this apology so significant for Inuit? Because it finally gave voice and recognition to what we, as Inuit, have been saying for many, many years - that the education system has had profoundly damaging consequences for Inuit.

 

Our high school graduation rates remain the lowest in the country at less than 25% and the use of our mother tongue, Inuktitut, is declining, and in two of our regions, is severely threatened. 

 

Prime Minister Harper’s apology signaled a recognition that our language – Inuktitut – defines who we are and for many Inuit, losing their first language, or not having an opportunity to fully learn their first language, has created a damaging void in their lives.

 

So the journey to filling the void of lost language, and for preparing Inuit for the future must focus on building an education system based on Inuit culture and values.

 

In March 2006, Thomas Berger prepared a report on the state of implementation of the Nunavut Lands Claims Agreement. He led the historic Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry in the mid 1970s and 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 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  and future of the Canadian Arctic, it is critical to connect the dots between education, language, heath, housing, and infrastructure.

 

So imagine our delight later that year on 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.

 

In relative terms, this is as monumental to Inuit as the election of President Obama is to African Americans.

 

 

Now let me turn to OUR responsibilities as Inuit.

 

In our political dialogue with governments we promote individual and collective rights and social justice. At the same time, we Inuit must not lose sight of our individual and collective responsibilities.

 

Our collective responsibility, as Inuit parents and leaders, is to support our children, instill confidence and pride, keep them safe and provide them with choices and opportunities.

 

I place a very strong emphasis on improving educational outcomes for our children.

 

In April 2008, ITK with the support of the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, organized a National Summit on Inuit Education. In the company of the Government General, Her Exellency Michaelle Jean, I sat with other Inuit leaders and northern education ministers and listened to the concerns, hopes and plans of Inuit teachers, administrators and curriculum specialists.

 

We heard about the challenges they are facing on a daily basis.

 

In the coming weeks, I expect to sign and Inuit Education Accord with governments and regional school boards as a product of this Summit. The Accord will formalize an agreement around the fundamental premise that graduating more of our children is key to improving our social conditions.

 

We have proven our determination and capacity to negotiate and achieve new political and economic relationships with Governments. So it is time now to devote our attention to improving social conditions.

 

As leaders we must use our intelligence, experience and resources to introduce legislation and policies in support of improved standards in Inuit education.

 

That being said, at the family and community levels we also have responsibilities. No amount of effort by governments or leaders can change educational outcomes without an equal commitment from the family.

 

Parents must get up every day and support their children’s education. They have to feed them, provide them with an environment to do their homework, get to then school and let them know that education is a ‘good thing’. At the same time, parents must promote the use of the Inuit language in the home and keep their children grounded and proud of their Inuit heritage.

 

In many ways today we are failing our children by not providing these conditions. That is why it is so important to take a holistic approach. If communities and families are in trouble, there is little hope of providing support for keeping kids in school.

 

Academics and academic institutions have a very important role to play in assisting vulnerable groups, such Canadian Inuit, to understand, confront and develop solutions.

 

To start you can be curious about Canada’s north become better informed about Inuit and their unique contributions to our country.

 

You can organize discussion groups, take relevant courses here at Waterloos and engage yourselves in the political process. For example Special seminars on northern education can be organized to further motivate students to become involved.

 

If there are Inuit students at Waterloo – get to know them. They would have worked very hard to get here.

 

The challenges Inuit face are enormous. We are taking on these challenges and we need the help of all thoughtful Canadians. And very importantly, we need youth involvement and bold new ideas and energy.

 

Thank you for giving me your time today.

 

Nakurmiik, Thank you