First a vision, now a declaration: new talks on Nunavik self-government

“Parnasimautik is saying: here we are; don’t forgot us,” said KRG chair Maggie Emudluk Feb. 26. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

KUUJJUAQ — Nunavik’s Parnasimautik report may be signed and complete, but the process of engaging Inuit in the region appears to have just begun.

Parnasimautik, or Plan Nunavik, is the result of years of consultation across the region to develop a blueprint for the region’s future.

The report, signed last fall, set out clear priorities for Nunavik’s leadership, from the need to protect and promote the Inuit language and culture, to identifying clear terms for allowing resource development in the region.

The next step is drafting a declaration in time for Makivik Corp.’s annual general meeting at the end of March, Kativik Regional Government chair Maggie Emudluk told council meetings in Kuujjuaq last week.

“This declaration describes who we are, where we come from,” Emudluk told the meeting.

“For thousands of years we’ve been here. We’ve been invaded by foreigners; we’ve had many different traumas. But even through all of this, we’re going to stand up and be recognized as Aboriginal people. Parnasimautik is saying: here we are, don’t forget us.”

While it’s been just four years since Nunavimmiut voted against a proposed new government model in a 2011 region-wide reference, Nunavik’s leadership wants the issue of self-governance back on the table.

“Self-government is one of the many future negotiations that will have to take place,” Emudluk said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News. “KRG will have to be part of those discussions. And in a sense, Parnasimautik provides the foundation.”

Ultimately, the region needs to work towards self-governance, she said.

Makivik is tasked with leading those discussions, and any future negotiations, something its recently re-elected president, Jobie Tukkiapik, campaigned hard on.

“Never before have we Nunavik Inuit been at this stage of knowing what we want in governance,” Tukkiapik said in January.

The Quebec government has yet to formally acknowledge or respond to the delivery of the final Parnasimautik report, Emudluk said, although the region hopes the province will refer to the document when debating regional issues.

“We’ve made reference to it in our dealings with ministers, whenever we have to file a position paper,” Emudluk said.

But as a regional leader, it’s the long-term impact the Parnasimautik consultations have had on Nunavik Inuit that matter most to her, she said, because it’s a process that has helped to engage people at the community level.

A number of communities have continued the discussion through local roundtables, which report back to the community live through local radio.

“I’ve witnessed these meetings, people have actually shown up because they’ve been listening to the issues discussed on the radio,” Emudluk said. “It’s forcing local players in health, education or even the church groups to come together.”

That’s opened the lines of communication and helped to create a sense of ownership on local issues, she added.

The declaration will be made public at Makivik’s annual general meeting, which runs March 23 to March 28 in Kuujjuaq.

You can read the full Parnasimautik report here.