Good luck to the people of Nunavik

Today the people of Nunavik have resumed a journey that over the years has been too long delayed — a journey towards the creation of a self-governing territory in the Inuit region of northern Quebec.

Unlike the people of Nunavut, the Inuit of northern Quebec were forced by historical circumstance to settle for a land claim agreement in 1975 that did not provide them with a full measure of self-government. But if the Nunavik

Nunavik residents have much to be wary of, however. They are required to negotiate a new self-government arrangement with a Quebec provincial government that at this moment does not recognize the Inuit right to remain in Canada should Quebec secede

Like the Inuit of Nunavut, the Inuit of Nunavik have already said that they prefer to assert their right to self-government through a public form of government. In Nunavik’s case, such a government would have jurisdiction over the Inuit territory north of the 55th parallel in northern Quebec. But the document to be signed today makes no reference to a publicly elected assembly in Nunavik, the creation of which has been a long-standing desire on the part of Nunavik residents.

We can only hope that the seven-member Nunavik Commission — to be named today — will recommend the creation of an elected, accountable assembly with adequate powers over areas like health, education, social services, justice, and culture.

Yet another issue about which Nunavik residents must be wary is funding. To their dismay, Nunavut government officials are now discovering the powerlessness that comes with inadequate financial resources. We’re sure that Nunavik officials already know that they’ll have to work hard to make sure that Quebec City and Ottawa provides Nunavik’s self-government institutions with enough money to operate.

In some areas of government, such as health, education and social services, Nunavik residents now enjoy services that are better funded and of a higher quality than those provided to Nunavut residents. But in areas such as justice, emergency services, and the provision of basic infrastructure, Nunavik residents lag far behind their neighbours in Nunavut. We’re sure that Nunavik residents want a new system of government in Nunavik that at least maintains the quality of services they already receive, while improving those that are now inadequate.

With a budget of only $770,000, and a timetable that will have them complete their work in eight months, it would appear that the Nunavik Commission won’t likely have the capacity to produce work on the scale of their Nunavut counterpart, the Nunavut Implementation Commission.

But we’re sure that we speak for all Nunavut residents in wishing the best of luck to our neighbours in Nunavik.JB