Inuit could pursue foreign partners if relationship with Ottawa sours: ITK leader
ITK says Ottawa must respect Inuit rights or risk losing cooperation on Arctic policy, housing and a planned university.
- On Friday, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami concluded a two-day Arctic sovereignty conference in Ottawa, where ITK President Natan Obed warned that Inuit will seek other partners if the federal partnership fails.
- Obed cited Ottawa's decision to bypass "deep consultation" regarding defence investments, including the Northern Operational Support Hub, and noted a shift back to working with territorial governments rather than Inuit organizations.
- ITK rejected "outdated, colonial approaches to Arctic policy that repeat Canada's past mistakes of marginalizing" Inuit, stating Canada must partner with the four rights-holding Inuit Treaty Organizations to achieve sovereignty goals.
- Regarding the Inuit Nunangat University set to open in 2030 in Arviat, Nunavut, Obed suggested seeking international partners to enable degree issuance if the government fails to cooperate on legislation.
- While calling Canada their "preferred partner," Obed insisted Inuit must be active players in Arctic security, noting that sovereignty is "top of mind" for Prime Minister Carney's government, requiring mutual respect.
29 Articles
29 Articles
OTTAWA—The National Inuit Representation Organization in Canada calls on the federal government to be a better partner, stating that Canada must respect Inuit rights to governance and self-determination. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) closed a two-day Arctic sovereignty conference on Friday in Ottawa. [...]
Arctic defence must be built on partnership, not past mistakes: Inuit leaders
Inuit leaders warned Friday that Canada’s plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on Arctic defence could repeat past harms in the North unless Inuit are involved as partners. “If a 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?” Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed said at Nilliajut – Asserting Inuit Rights in…
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