Trudeau finishes Iqaluit visit on dogsled, then inside igloo
Prime minister meets with premier on 2nd day of two-day visit
Nunatsiaq News reporter Jeff Pelletier is nominated for Best News Photo for his shot of then-prime minister Justin Trudeau stepping inside an igloo during his visit to Iqaluit in January 2024. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
After Thursday’s busy afternoon of celebrations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spent his final morning in Iqaluit at the Nunavut legislative assembly and then at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park.
Trudeau’s two-day visit was to sign the Nunavut Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement – the “largest land transfer in Canada’s history,” according to his office, giving Nunavut new authority over federal lands in the territory.
Hundreds watched the signing ceremony at the Aqsarniit hotel and on an online webcast.
Friday morning was back to regular business, but also an opportunity for Trudeau and his youngest son, Hadrien, to enjoy some time on the land.
The prime minister’s day started with the signing of a guestbook at the legislative assembly. Similar to the previous day’s devolution agreement signing, Trudeau inked his name in syllabics.
After being greeted by Premier P.J. Akeeagok, the pair toured the legislative assembly chamber and then met in private.
Several MLAs and legislature employees gathered on the walkways above the assembly’s main lobby to snap pictures of Trudeau as he walked in and spoke alongside Akeeagok.
Trudeau reflected on his earliest travels to Iqaluit — called Frobisher Bay at that time — with his father, prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
“My dad brought me up here 50 years ago, and over the past 50 years or so I’ve seen tremendous transformation, changes, strengthening in so many different ways,” Trudeau said.
“Yesterday’s announcement was a huge step for us.”
Both Akeeagok and Trudeau spoke about the significance of the previous day’s events.
“There’s important work ahead of us, but to be sharing the stage with the many elders that were there and incredible youth that were playing yesterday really showed the importance around that,” Akeeagok said.
Trudeau repeated his promise to support Nunavut as it enters a three-year transition period, before devolution takes effect April 1, 2027.
“While we do that, we’re also going to be taking care of other big things, whether it’s continuing our great work on housing … whether it’s talking about sovereignty and protection of the Arctic,” he said.
“We’re really excited.”
After the meetings, the Trudeaus, Akeeagok and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk headed to Sylvia Grinnell Park for a dogsled ride.
Trudeau also stopped at an igloo at the front of the park, where elders showed him how to add chunks of ice to the top of the structure.
“An igloo is not only an important cultural symbol, but it also represents housing and community,” Akeeagok said in an Instagram post.”We hope that the federal government will partner with us to build many more homes in Nunavut.”
Premier P.J. Akeeagok, left, and Hadrien Trudeau watch as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signs his name in Inuktitut syllabics in the guestbook at the legislative assembly in Iqaluit. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
What a great picture! Great to see our PM doing some cultural activities and learning more about Inuit culture.
Thank you Solomon for showing your skills and knowledge to our PM.
He is a poor excuse for a pm. In fact, many say he is not their pm.
For many of us he is our PM, he has done more for Nunavut than Harper ever did. Who do you have in mind that would do a better job than him?
They don’t want someone to do better.
Effective governance makes screeching about our respective tax contributions uncomfortable. It’s harder to argue that you shouldn’t have to invest in society when that investment is put to good use.
This is, quite simply, false.
Under Harper, development in Nunavut was booming. There were tons of public infrastructure projects. Every year there were new schools, new health centres, new airports, new Hamlet buildings, new power plants, etc. That work & funding dried up the instant Trudeau was elected.
Harper did far more for Nunavut than Trudeau has ever done or will ever do.
Did it dry up “the instant Trudeau was elected”? Or is it that that funding, because it now comes from the other guy, is just pandering to purchase votes in your eyes?
Every dime spent is derided as bloat and waste until it’s YOUR guy buying YOUR vote.
Canadian politics in a nutshell.
I just remember all the funding and job cuts with the conservatives, spending more on their Canada Action Plan tv commercials then the actual program or infrastructure funding. Canada action plan re-announcements on old funding making it look like new funding.
I don’t miss those days and this was before Covid and a strong international economy.
We got a lot less for Nunavut and the north under the Conservatives.
WHINE , WHINE WHINE ——————-
Row row row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream.
Define many because if your so called part of the freedom fighter supporter than keep it out of Nunavut! Sick the whiny hissy fit privileged yt who think they lost freedom and can’t define what they lost.
Nunatsiaq News. It would have been nice if you had posted a picture of them during the dogsled ride and recognized the young woman who carries on this tradition in Iqaluit. Leetia Eegeesiak.
no chips but got dogs like to dance but fall down and laff
🙄🤔🚶
Let’s name him, “Dances with dogs.”
Proper pronunciation is ‘Illuvigaq’ , Igloo or properly spelled Illu means a house
To be accurate it’s Iglu, igluvigaq (illuvigaq) in most parts of Nunavut outside of southern Baffin is an abandoned iglu, usually in spring time, directly translated used to be a iglu.
Iglu is a snow house from time immemorial and igluvigaq is a used iglu that has been abandoned.
the “g” is not pronounced in the modern Inuktut or Inuktitut both spoken and written.
igluvigaq
Iglu
Agluk
Ugjuk
evolution of the language like the climate change it is irreversible.
Arctic should have brought in their arctic counter parts nwt or northern counterparts. Nunavut is not only one territory but whole northern arctic should have been apart of all leaders visits and welcome all northern leaders
Did he get in line at the B & W and order The Snack?
Just some facts since this Liberal government took power in 2015 Canadians are paying more!
Mortgages payments are up
Rent Payments are up,
Gasoline, diesel heating fuel,, natural gas is up
Interest rates are up
National Debt is up
Food prices are up,
Electricity/hydro is up
Everything is way up!
Most of these issues are outside of government, world economy plays a large role in the banks and interest rates, fuel prices, food prices and so on.
Historically the PC has always ran a deficit even under a stable world economy with no wars.
We have much more badly needed infrastructure funding from this current government, more housing funding, new funding for programs.
It takes time to get back to speed after the decade long recession with the Conservative government but we are seeing all these new funding in place especially infrastructure funding across the country.
Iglu snow house, igluvigaq abandon snow house, iglurjuaq modern wooden house.