Greenavut? Greenland president proposes new Inuit homeland

The black line which marks the boundary between Canada and Greenland would be history under a united Greenavut. (FILE PHOTO)

Under one Greenland-Nunavut Greenavut government, sights like this one at Iqaluit would be commonplace. (FILE PHOTO)

If Greenland ever cuts ties with the Kingdom of Denmark, it wants Nunavut to join.

In a statement released April 1, Kim Kielsen, the prime minster of Greenland, officially invited Nunavut to join Greenland if the country becomes fully independent.

That might not happen for a few years — some speculate 2021.

But if it does happen, Kielsen said a Nunavut-Greenland nation could become an economic powerhouse.

“By 2021, Greenland is probably all melted. Same goes with lots of sea ice in Nunavut,” Kielsen told Nunatsiaq News by telephone from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.

That means more potential for oil extraction in the Arctic, taxes and economic independence, Kielsen said.

“New York, London, Los Angeles — they will be all under water and Iqualuit and Nuuk will laugh,” he said.

Geologists estimate Nunavut could hold more than 20 per cent of Canada’s oil and gas reserves. Greenland has immense natural resource potential too. As one academic puts it:

“It is crucial to consider the fact that an independent Greenland, if it exploited the hydrocarbon reserves in the Arctic, it could [be] by far the wealthiest nation in the world (in terms of per capita),” said Swedish-based Sustainable Energy Engineering KTH Royal Institute of Technology graduate Georgios Avgerinopoulos in a 2012 paper.

When contacted April 1, Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna confirmed he received a phone call from the Greenlandic Prime Minister March 30, but declined to discuss it.

“Any information I release would be premature,” Taptuna said. “The subject matter was confidential and I want to leave it at that.

“This government is focused on education, as per our mandate: education, education, education, with some training thrown in. Stamping out social promotion is our main goal and I’m not thinking about the Nunagreen proposal right now,” Taptuna said.

But Taptuna raised what could be a controversial issue: what would the new country be called? Some academics have suggested Nunaland, but have already rejected that suggestion.

P.J. Akeeagok, president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and a director on the board of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., pointed out that the name would essentially mean “land land” and said if so-called experts want to consider a name for the new nation, they must first hold extensive consultations and incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into the process.

“Our lawyers and consultants stand ready at their cubicles in Ottawa. There is no limit to the billable hours we are willing to invest to ensure there is no breach of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement,” Akeeagok said.

In a 2012 Ipsos Reid poll commissioned by Kielsen but not publicized until now, the name “Greenavut” gained the most positive reaction from 500 respondents in Greenland and Nunavut, with a 78 per cent approval rating.

The name “Grunalut” came in last with only 12 per cent approval.

It’s unclear if Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq would renounce her Canadian citizenship and run for office in the as-yet-unnamed country. Calls to her office were not returned by our print deadline this week.

In an email to Nunatsiaq News, Aglukkaq’s press secretary did point out that Nutrition North really is reducing the price of nutritious food in Nunavut.

“Nutrition North has shipped a total of 61 million kilograms of nutritious and perishable food to northern communities since 2011 and the cost of a food basket for an average family of four has dropped by approximately $110 per month,” the email said in response to questions about the proposed new country of Greenavut.

Greenland is now a semi-autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenlanders voted in favour of self-governance in a 2008 referendum.

However, Greenland receives about $600 million annually in subsidy payments from Denmark.

Reached earlier today at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark said she is not opposed to an eventual union between Greenland and Nunavut.

“My old friend and close relative Queen Elizabeth II anticipates this development with keen interest. Betty and I are frightfully keen on the idea of merging our domains,” Margrethe said.

Any disputes between Canada and Denmark over which country has jurisdiction over Hans Island, which lies between Ellesmere Island and Greenland, would be resolved under the new Inuit homeland. (FILE PHOTO)