GN reaches fish deal with Makivik

The Nunavut government has worked out a deal with Makivik Corp. on fishing rights for Nunavik Inuit in offshore waters adjacent to Nunavut in Davis Strait, Premier Paul Okalik told the house last week.

Okalik says the agreement guarantees that Nunavut Inuit will always receive turbot and shrimp allocations in Davis Strait that will exceed allocations given to Nunavik Inuit.

Several years ago, the GN was enraged when Makivik and the federal government, in an agreement-in-principle to settle the Nunavik Inuit offshore claim, guaranteed small percentages of quota to Nunavik Inuit within Nunavut’s adjacent waters.

But with the initialing of the final agreement in Montreal last week by Makivik, the federal government, and the Nunavut government, the dispute has faded away.