Labrador Inuit to create autonomous Nunatsiavut

SARA MINOGUE

The Inuit of Labrador will sign a historic land claims agreement with the federal government in Nain today, bringing them one step closer towards their long-awaited goal of self-government.

On Monday, it was business as usual at the Labrador Inuit Association, where the board of directors had convened to make final preparations to welcome several illustrious guests for the official signing ceremony.

“There’s a lot of anticipation,” said William Andersen III, president of the Labrador Inuit Association, which has been working on the deal for 30 years.

“Once the agreement is signed, I think there will be even more expectations and that’s fair. People know what’s happening and it’s a great time for us.”

But Andersen stressed that the board was also “discussing the need to carry on business as normal.”

“I think the agreement is a good agreement but I still maintain that it’s going to be really up to us to make it work. If we don’t put our heart and soul into it, no matter how good the agreement is, it will not be of great benefit.”

The agreement will give 5,300 Labrador Inuit control over 72,000 square kilometres of land, approximately one-third of northern Labrador.

“I think it’s one of the most exciting periods for the Labrador Inuit,” said Mary Simon, Canada’s former ambassador to the Arctic and a past head of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and Makivik Corporation.

“They’ve worked very long and hard to settle some very difficult issues. Finally, it’s becoming a reality and I think people are very proud and excited about the signing ceremony.”

Simon has spent the past several months on contract to the LIA, making sure that federal representatives understand and support the land claim.

The government of Newfoundland and Labrador approved the claim in December. It’s only the second provincial government to be affected by a comprehensive land claims agreement since the Nisga’a British Columbia agreement with Ottawa in 2000.

The next step is legislation in the House of Commons. Simon is confident that Labrador Inuit have the support they need for the legislation to pass, but she plans to make sure that members of Parliament, ministers and opposition party members are all on board.

“With a minority government, I think it’s very important to make sure your consultation is done and that everybody understands the agreement and the different aspects of how this is not just good for Inuit, but good for Canada as well.”

Paul Kaludjak, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., commended the LIA on “taking control of their own lives as we have tried to here in Nunavut.”

Now, he said, he hopes the federal government will live up to its commitments.

“We have to keep knocking at the government’s door to keep our implementation in line, and keep it active. We have an outstanding 10-year plan that is not being acted on by the government currently.

“I hope they will not have the same difficulty that we have. I hope there will be quicker turnarounds and timely implementation practices.”

In the meantime, the LIA is preparing an interim government that can take over the leadership of the land claims area until elections can be held for the new Nunatsiavut Government.

The group is “well into that process,” Andersen said, having started the work immediately after a vote on May 26 where 76 per cent of Labrador Inuit supported the land claim.

The Nunatsiavut Government will be a public body, made up of 16 representatives from five community councils representing Inuit and non-Inuit in the region.

Together, they will manage the rights of beneficiaries’ to the agreement, as well as write and enforce laws relating to cultural affairs, education, health, child and family services, income support, and justice in the territory.

The deal comes with a $140 million capital transfer as well as $156 million in implementation funding from the federal government, which amounts to almost $350 million when adjusted for inflation since 1997, when the figures were negotiated.

The territory must pay back $50 million of the capital funding to the federal government for legal expenses incurred during the 30-year negotiations.

The Nunatsiavut Government will collect 5 per cent of revenues from Voisey’s Bay, and a share in offshore oil revenues in some areas.

It will have the power to impose tax, but residents will continue to pay federal and provincial taxes.
Other dignitaries invited to the ceremony include the minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Andy Scott; the federal Environment Minister Stéphane Dion; Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik; and the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Jose Kusugak.