Canada’s national Inuit organization is calling on the federal government to be better partners, saying Canada must respect Inuit rights to governance and self-determination.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami wrapped up a two-day Arctic sovereignty conference in Ottawa on Friday.
In a statement following the summit, ITK says it firmly rejects what it calls “outdated, colonial approaches to Arctic policy that repeat Canada’s past mistakes of marginalizing” Inuit.
“We call on the federal government to partner with Inuit in advancing a more ambitious vision for its Arctic territory by prioritizing improved coordination with Inuit rights holders in decision-making, and the investments in the infrastructure and services needed to create prosperity and bring the entirety of Inuit Nunangat into the rest of the country,” ITK said in a statement.
“Canada can only achieve this objective by partnering with the four rights-holding Inuit Treaty Organizations whose members include all Inuit.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous Minister Rebecca Alty said Canada is committed to advancing Inuit self-determination.
“Inuit are essential partners in building a strong, secure, and prosperous Arctic, press secretary Alec Wilson said. “Meaningful engagement with Inuit rights holders is fundamental to achieving shared objectives, including Arctic sovereignty, security, economic development, and community well-being.”
Earlier in the day, ITK president Natan Obed said if the partnership with Ottawa is no longer feasible, Inuit will look for partners elsewhere.
He said the relationship right now with the federal government is a positive one, but he also said there has been “a very large shift” in how Ottawa involves Inuit on decisions in their own backyard.
That includes Ottawa’s decision not to engage in “deep consultation” with Inuit before announcing defence investments and the planned Northern Operational Support Hub network of logistics centres for the Canadian Armed Forces.
“We were informed and asked if we could come celebrate with the Government of Canada when they announced them,” Obed told The Canadian Press.
“We are not an essential part of those conversations, even though they are in our homeland.”
While Obed said Canada is the “preferred partner” of Inuit and they have “no interest in forging other paths,” they will if they feel it’s necessary.
“If the partnership with Canada is not on the table, if we are not going to be respected partners, then should we not be looking for other partners as well to uphold our interests,” he said in his remarks to the summit’s audience. Alty listened from the front row.
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“This isn’t a threat. It is a practical consideration that I’m sure (the Prime Minister’s Office) makes every day about the decisions they make on behalf of Canadians. So for Inuit … we must use our power and our assets to be able to withstand this latest of interest in our homeland — not necessarily our people.”
Obed pointed to Carney’s work to diversify Canada’s trade relationships in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war, including repairing relations with India and China.
Obed said Inuit leaders are in a similar position, though he didn’t specify whether Inuit would seek foreign investors for their endeavours, or work directly with foreign governments.
He noted Arctic security, defence and sovereignty are “top of mind” for Carney’s government, while the Arctic is home to “strategic national assets for resource extraction.”
“Now it’s our turn to say a very similar thing,” Obed told the crowd.
Obed pointed to Canada’s renewed relationship with China, while also noting “Inuit have been discouraged from working with Chinese interests for natural resource extraction or subsurface considerations within parts of Inuit Nunangat.”
“So if we’re not figuring out how to make major projects happen with the Government of Canada, maybe there are other opportunities for us to work with other actors for developing projects to build and push our self-determination,” he told The Canadian Press.
Asked if Inuit would consider working more directly with Chinese investors for Arctic projects, Obed acknowledged they’d talk with Ottawa first.
”We take very seriously threats to Canadian sovereignty,” Obed said.
”We want to be active players within sovereignty and defence and the considerations for security. We want to ensure our partners also share in those aims and goals.”
Obed said large-scale projects fund the implementation of Inuit treaties, social programs and services, and create employment opportunities for Inuit.
“It isn’t something that is happening today. But there are real considerations, and I think they should be taken seriously,” Obed said.
“The way in which the Government of Canada, and provinces and territories, interact with Inuit rights-holding institutions creates the environment in which we have to make our decisions in. We would love to work with our preferred partners, provinces, territories, the federal government. But we will explore other options if we have to.”
That could include for the Inuit Nunangat University, which is set to open in 2030 with a main campus in Arviat, Nunavut.
All universities in Canada need legislation to enable it to issue degrees. He said because the Inuit university could span across multiple jurisdictions, Ottawa should work with ITK on the legislation.
“They’ve not committed to that,” Obed said. “There are other avenues for us to enable our legislation, and perhaps there are other partners outside of Canada that would be happy to work with us to ensure that we can provide degrees for the Inuit university.”
Obed also pointed to housing as another example of Ottawa shifting away from allowing Inuit to make their own decisions on social supports.
When the previous Liberal government allocated funds for housing, ITK would disperse money to Inuit regions through a funding model established by its board.
From there, Inuit organizations would decide how to build them.
Now, Obed said they’re seeing Ottawa return to a model of working more closely with the territorial governments, rather than Inuit organizations.
“We’re not seeing the same opportunities or the same consideration for rights-based funding envelopes and fiscal policy. And that is of deep concern to Inuit,” Obed said.
“We are also seeing the return of a territorial North, rather than an Inuit Nunangat North.”