Nunavut wants in on federal aboriginal policing funds

A new federal First Nations policing program that aims to recruit aboriginal police officers into communities could help Nunavut and Inuit, Nunavut’s justice minister, Daniel Shewchuk, said March 7 in the legislative assembly.

Nunavut will gain access to funds under the program, Shewchuk said in response to questions from Amittuq MLA Louis Tapardjuk.

“They have recognized Inuit in a press release in their program. Yes, I believe the funding will be eligible to Nunavut,” Shewchuk said.

After Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial ministers of justice met last November in Ottawa, justice ministers from the three territories said they want in on the new program.

As for how that program would benefit Nunavut and Inuit, Shewchuk isn’t sure yet.

No money has flowed to Nunavut yet, but he said the Government of Nunavut is working with the RCMP to get “that funding and use this for Inuit programs and recruiting of Inuit in Nunavut.”

For now, Nunavut is lucky to have police officers in every community.

There are many Arctic communities that do not have that such service and are remotely policed by other communities, he said.

Last September, Shewchuk said he attended a conference in Whitehorse with justice ministers from Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Alaska, Greenland and northern Europe.

“We shared very similar challenges that we have and some have more than others,” Shewchuk said.