Key Takeaways:
- Hearing a resolution at its annual general meeting on November 16, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) will pursue Inuit Self-Government in Nunavut.
- The presentation will seek a negotiation mandate with the Canadian government to exercise their inherent right to Inuit self-government.
NTI claims that the Government of Nunavut has avoided developing policies, programs, and services that address the needs of Inuit, who make up the great majority of people in the territory, instead focused on “the non-Inuit minority,” according to a press release from the Inuit Organization.
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The press statement also laments the reduction in Nunavut Inuit quality of life and the loss of language and culture in Inuit villages. In addition, NTI stated on October 13 that it would sue the Government of Nunavut for failing to develop a complete Inuit-language K-12 education over the previous 22 years.
“At NTI, we fully recognize how tough it will be to continue to work under a system that neither supports nor wants us to succeed in realizing the vision of a successful and vibrant Nunavut envisioned by young, daring Inuit leaders in the 1970s,” said NTI President Aluki Kotierk.
Following the passage of this resolution, NTI will work with the federal government to create Inuit self-governance. “We owe it to the Inuit to fully represent their potential,” Kotierk said.
Source: Nunavutnews
