Inuit and the Canadian Arctic: Sovereignty Begins at Home

As Nunavut approaches its 10th anniversary, the territory faces a number of issues that will draw its attention outward, to issues of circumpolar concern and, in particular, the renewed interest over Arctic sovereignty.

In 2008, Mary Simon, the national president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Canada’s national Inuit organization, embarked on a cross-Canada speaking tour to explain to Canadians that Inuit in Canada’s Arctic find themselves at a point of convergence in their modern history. Inuit are at the forefront of sovereignty discussions and at the centre of energy supply plans; they are the “canary in the coalmine” for the global dialogue on climate change.

In her remarks, President Simon explains that a twenty-first-century model for Arctic sovereignty must move beyond the outdated model of infrastructure and military bases by including Inuit as partners in defining new goals for sovereignty that include ensuring that new investments are linked to improving the well-being of Inuit.

The following is a modified version of the speech delivered by Ms. Simon at venues across Canada, titled “Sovereignty Begins at Home.”

If you pick up any newspaper these days and the word “Arctic” catches your eye, the article will probably relate to one of two major policy issues for our government. The first Arctic policy issue relates to sovereignty over the Arctic. I want to make the case that in pursuing a sovereignty agenda for Canada’s Arctic we must ensure that sovereignty begins at home. What do I mean by this?

For Canada to assert its sovereignty legitimately in the Arctic, it must also ensure that Inuit are treated as all other Canadians are . . . with the same standard of education, health care, and infrastructure that is the foundation of healthy communities across Canada. It is not enough to pursue an aggressive economic agenda of diamond mines and oil pipelines in the Arctic, if Inuit continue to live at standards well below what average Canadians expect and enjoy. The process for asserting Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic involves establishing constructive partnerships with Inuit.

The second Arctic policy issue that you will find mentioned in your newspapers, and that warrants the attention of Canadians, is the Arctic environment. What is happening to the environment in Canada’s Arctic today as a result of climate change should be compelling urgent action by our government to get serious on a climate change strategy . . . with targets and timelines connected to international processes, funding, and tax incentives.

For generations, Canadians have professed to be a “northern nation,” but our actions have treated the Arctic somewhat as an afterthought. I now believe that this situation may be changing. You are no doubt aware that scientists have reported that this year’s melting of Arctic ice will exceed last year’s melt—and last year saw the largest retreat of Arctic ice since we first began measuring it, resulting in an open and navigable Northwest Passage.

With a quarter of the world’s remaining oil and gas reserves lying in the Arctic basin, it is no wonder countries other than Canada are laying claim to the Arctic. Russia has planted a flag on the ocean floor under the North Pole.

Not surprisingly, the Arctic has now moved from Ottawa’s back burner to the front. Last fall’s Speech from the Throne paid specific attention to the North: it said,

New opportunities are emerging across the Arctic, and new challenges from other shores. Our Government will bring forward an integrated northern strategy focussing on strengthening Canada’s sovereignty, protecting our environmental heritage, promoting economic and social development, and improving and devolving governance, so that northerners have greater control over their destinies.

This focus on the Arctic has been reflected in a series of Arctic tours by the prime minister. Last month (August 2008), Prime Minister Harper made his fourth trip to the Arctic, along with members of his Cabinet as (in the words of CBC) “part of his campaign to bolster Canada’s claim to Arctic sovereignty” (CBC 2008a). In his...