Inuit leaders present nation-building plan in One Economy meeting with Carney

Prime Minister Mark Carney spent Thursday meeting with Inuit leaders in Inuvik, N.W.T., to discuss the One Economy Law, also known as Bill C-5. The meeting included Inuit leaders from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Pauktuutit and the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee. Several federal ministers, including Northern Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand and Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, were also there.  Topics on the table included Canada’s Arctic foreign policy and protecting Inuit security and sovereignty in the Arctic.  But most of the conversation focused on Inuit-led priorities for infrastructure. Watch APTN National News’ Host Dennis Ward’s interview with Prime Minister Mark Carney below: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Inuit Treaty Organizations put together a package for the meeting, outlining 10-year costs for about 79 Inuit-specific infrastructure projects. “Folks around the table were very impressed with how leadership was able to come together and put this together so very neatly,” said Nikki Komaksiutiksak, president and chief executive officer of Pauktuutit, the national Inuit women’s organization. “And, some of the commentary was that they haven’t seen this type of work as it relates to this nation building project or the Canada Act.” To move forward with energy projects, Inuit communities need enabling infrastructure —things like airport expansions, improved airstrips, access to jet fuel, marine infrastructure, and community-based renewable energy projects, said Komaksiutiksak. “Everything is interconnected, so in order for our families to thrive, infrastructure is huge,” said Komaksiutiksak. The conversation also included the need for ongoing social supports like the Child First Initiative, food security for children, and more housing: Nunavut is short 3,000 homes, and Nunavik needs more than 800. ‘Crisis for many years’ “ It’s been a crisis for many years,” said Komaksiutiksak. “Even myself as a young child living in Nunavut, I remember being five years old and walking in the middle of the night in a blizzard with my mother trying to find a place to sleep. “You know, these are real realities that are we are facing every day.” Carney also promised Inuit leaders that Bill C-5 will respect modern treaties and adhere to environmental assessments as he met the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee in Inuvik, N.W.T. The recently passed One Canadian Economy Act gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects it considers to be in the national interest by sidestepping environmental protections and other legislation. Some Indigenous leaders have accused the federal government of failing to consult with them adequately when the legislation was being drafted and amended. “We’ve had reassurances that the bill … will not interrupt the processes under our modern treaties and that there will be full partnership of Inuit within these processes,” Obed said. “It fully respects treaty-based environmental assessment processes,” added Carney. “In fact, those will be essential for anything that we move forward.” -with files by The Canadian Press Continue Reading