‘Nunavummiut deserve to have more control over their lives,’ Trudeau says
Prime minister, premier take reporters’ questions after devolution agreement signing
From left, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier P.J. Akeeagok take questions from reporters in Iqaluit on Thursday. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Now that Nunavut and the federal government have a devolution agreement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he welcomes the new powers the territory will have to make decisions about its future.
Trudeau, Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk signed the Nunavut Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement Thursday afternoon in Iqaluit.
Following the signing ceremony — attended by politicians, Nunavut Agreement negotiators and other dignitaries — Trudeau, Akeeagok and Kotierk spoke with reporters at the Aqsarniit hotel lounge.
“Canada’s strength is that we work things out from a multitude of perspectives,” Trudeau said to a question about how the federal government might handle a hypothetical future dispute with Nunavut.
“In this step that we’re taking — to recognize that Nunavummiut deserve to have more control over their lives, their future, their land, their territory — is entirely what Canada is all about.”
Akeeagok echoed Trudeau’s answer, saying that working to resolve differences is a core Nunavut value.
Trudeau dodged a question about his electoral future, specifically to what extent he needs to win back the Nunavut riding — currently held by NDP member of Parliament Lori Idlout — if his Liberals hope to hold onto power.
Instead, he criticized Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, his main political rival who is leading him in several public opinion polls.
“They want to take Canada backwards,” Trudeau said of the Conservatives.
“For now and for the next year-and-a-half-plus, we have a lot of work to do and we’re going to keep rolling up our sleeves and doing it together.”
Several other questions focused on implementation of parts of the new agreement.
Trudeau and Akeeagok highlighted that both levels of government will pass and repeal laws over the course of the three-year devolution implementation period, which is set to conclude April 1, 2027 when the deal takes effect.
The two leaders also said they will support federal public service workers as their roles are transferred to the GN.
Trudeau promised Ottawa would help Nunavut as it navigates toward a new era of self-determination.
“Working together as partners is a model that, quite frankly, we need to learn from in the south, and I’m really excited about being here today,” he said.
“These are all questions we’ll be working out in the coming years.”
Why so hush hush about the whole thing? Took a lot of people by surprise. Shame!
Took you by surprise, it’s only been worked on since the 60s by every federal government in power.
Since the 1960? When was the Nunavut Agreement signed, 1993? What are you talking about? The first I heard of it was around 2008 or so, in the dying days of Okalik’s second term.
You are right. The GN in particular was very secretive about it. One Director who worked on this file within the GN would bully other GN employees even if they mentioned it at a meeting. I saw this.
Because of this , most GN employees did not even know what devolution was.
We can’t even reconcile with each other. Like kindergarten playground…”😪They got more than we did!!! Gonna hold my breath until you change your mind !!! Or I won’t play Bingo!!!!
Ignorance really is bliss.
O.M.G!!!!
Send us (Nunavut) back to the NWT and Feds.
This is embarrassing.
I was really hoping trudeau would wear some Kamiks and an Atigi since he seems to love playing dress-up
Can’t wait until we dress Trudeau up in his goodbye suit and send him on his way. Conservative government coming to Canada. That with a Trump government is going to undue a lot of the nonsense we’ve seen on this continent over the last few years. You took it to far lefties and now you’re going to lose it all!
undo** too**
So who do you have in mind that you think can do a better job? I am in no way a Trudeau fan but he has done more for Nunavut and for indigenous people then the other guy before him.
Why is it that the same people who holler about Trump and Conservatives and “taking our country back” can’t spell the simplest of words like “undo” and “too”?
They will rule the continent soon and spelling will not matter. Homophones, like pronouns, will no longer have any meaning.
Nunavut towards SELF determination?
“SELF”? …we (Inuit) don’t even pay rent.
What’s this “determination ” nonsense mean?
Work?!!! (Oh whoa is me. Residential School. Some body owes me. Boo Hoo)
Are you OK?
Soon you’ll see Government of Nunavut Legislative pushing for self-governmentz
I think NTI is already working on this, they set up a department just for this. It seems to be a hush hush thing too.
Yes ,NTI does not seem have strong communication skills. Actually, II have notice lowered standards coming from NTI. Maybe , it’s time for a change of leadership or change the Executive Team. NTI seems to be hiring more ego based personalities with no substance or knowledge.
Sorry, but I believe a “public” government (GN) was set up for that purpose at the time of the signing of the LCA???
NTI does not have the authority.
Don’t tell them that, they think they have the power to do it.
Must be nearing voting time. Trying to get more votes from the dysfunctional Nunavut population.
It gives the government of Nunavut leverage over its land. He gave nunavummiut control over their lives. He’s second guessing whether to run for pm again. Which means he wants to and he doesn’t want to run for pm. I’d vote trudeau again. He’s a better person than most inuit. Some of my friends aren’t even my friends. I can’t tell inuit my plans or they’ll just abolish it. I can keep a good thing going and some inuk will try to run my name through dirt or abolish it.
My late father told me his late father was also a good pm. My late father’s old boss was the brother of a pm.
It is a bit strange that Trudeau took time to take a stab at the Conservatives during this ceremony.
In 2018, the Conservatives went on record supporting all 3 territories retaining 100% of Crown royalties from natural resource development in Canada’s north.
The Devolution Agreement signed by GN, NTI and GC caps the amount of royalties that GN will be able to keep. The rest of this money has to still go down to Ottawa.
This limits the direct financial benefit to the territory from letting development happen.
For the very deal that Trudeau came up to Iqaluit to sign, the Conservatives would have done better.
Lucretius are you kidding? The Cons could not get it done, what the Cons do better is their ideology of the trickle down economics, cut taxes for the rich and big corps, which in turn cuts the federal government’s revenue which in turn the Cons have to cut funding and jobs. Set Canada back decades.
How short is your memory? Did you forget all the funding cuts? Not spending on infrastructure all across Canada, culturally, social and educational cuts, no new funding for housing and healthcare. The list goes on, our own Senator who has been a Cons supporter could not support the Cons anymore and left his own party and became a independent senator.
Speaking of our MP Idlout, I wonder if she will now withdraw her private members bill to amend the federal Territorial Lands Act asking to include Free, Prior, Informed Consent?
Nunavut will soon have its own Territorial Lands Act, and it will be highly likely that Inuk Ministers accountable to Inuk voters will have authority over it.
Or, does she still think that laws about Nunavut lands should be made in Ottawa and not Iqaluit?
Seems like a great distraction from that fact that Nunavut is experiencing its highest rate of poverty, highest rate of malnutrition (likely due to being unable to afford quality food). Highest rates of unemployment, while having mass job vacancies across go GNU. Declining attendance rates at school, still horrible high-school completion rates just hovering at around the 50% rates with abysmal post secondary rates.
I dont see Trudeau coming up to talk about those things too often or PJ talking about those things too often.
I guess its not fun to play dress up and go dance around and talk about how everyone cant afford to check out at the Northern or Co-op anymore.
I am not saying overall having control over Crown lands isn’t a good thing, but the GN cant even remotely manage this Territory as is, it by almost every metric possible is a colossal failure when compared to every other Territory and Province in Canada and I understand its still in its birth years, but its not getting better. Statistics are not improving. Oh well.
Great points.
Trudeau should have stayed home and just print and sign and scan it back save money live better!
No, this is a huge event, a historical event for Nunavut, for Inuit and for Canada. If it was a photo op on a navy ship or to drive a honda or to build a gazebo by a man made lake I would agree, but this is too important for our PM not to attend, imagine if he didn’t go, you would be all over that saying he should of been here.
I think NTI is already working on this, they set up a department just for this.
You mean MP Udlut?
(lol, sorry… that’s what JT called her)
Nothing is free. I exchange for legislative control, Canada sheds fiscal responsibilities for the management of lands and waters. This is sort of like when Provinces delegate responsibilities to municipalities in southern Canada – those municipalities are rarely equipped to manage it. The GN receives some funding for this, but there will be a major brain drain on the staff – the Agreement does not stipulate or require those positions involved with land management in Ottawa to transfer.
.
The other two territories (Yukon 2003, NWT 2016) show you that Devolution provides zero practical changes when it comes to people. Yes, a Lands/Mining Department needs to popup and some staff are hired, but unless there is a lot of development going on there is very little that the average Nunavummuit would notice. It is a lot of fanfare. At the end of the day Canada still owns Nunavut as a creation of federal law (Nunavut Act) and can always take it back.
.
The big winners in this are Canada for dumping responsibilities, the private lawyers paid by federal funds, NTI for having a say at a table that does not create any obligations for it, and the GN’s Devolution Secretariat, they get to now implement the agreement which will take a decade or two and continue their regular travels to Ottawa for “meetings”.
The issues you list are not federal issues, they are nunavut issues. Poverty, education unemployment, job vacancies. Get an education go to school, get a job fill those vacancies. All part of self determination. Blame no one but yourselves
Guess you missed the entier point of the post given its ultimate conclusion of said post was that how does this do anything when the GN can’t mange their own territory as is.
So I’m not fully understanding what you’re getting at given the post acknowledges exactly what you just said. Unless you are confused because I said Trudeau and his liberal gov’t don’t come up to acknowledge some of the issues, in which case you need a reality check since that’s issued that persist as a full national level at the point. They just happen to also be the worst of the worst in Nunavut because we also have the most incompetent provincial / territory government in Canada.
Lucretius are you kidding? The Cons could not get it done, what the Cons do better is their ideology of the trickle down economics, cut taxes for the rich and big corps, which in turn cuts the federal government’s revenue which in turn the Cons have to cut funding and jobs. Set Canada back decades.
How short is your memory? Did you forget all the funding cuts? Not spending on infrastructure all across Canada, culturally, social and educational cuts, no new funding for housing and healthcare. The list goes on, our own Senator who has been a Cons supporter could not support the Cons anymore and left his own party and became a independent senator.
Trudeau has a lot of power but even he cannot force parents to send their kids to school nor keep them from buying smokes and pop with the grocery money.
The story of a student who was failed on an examine and then went to ask of the teacher why. While correctly answering the problems and questions correctly but for one question worth only 20% of the grade he was not passed. How is that? The teacher replied to his student, But you were so wrong with that answer that is why you failed! Voila it is the story of Justin Trudeau and his administration to a T.
Everyone can whine about who is bad leader and say that this party will lead our lives to a brighter, but the truth is the government is the problem. People become dependent on them. Haha. Point fingers. The government is a cancer to society.
Government is the people, when you put in a party that is more for big corporations and the few ultra rich than yes the government doesn’t represent the people very well and we will have issues for a very long time and it takes time to recover.
A lot of damage and setbacks happen when we have a government for the big companies where bottom line is the most important.
Lots of lobbying going on now pre elections, lots of ads and false and misleading advertising going on already by a certain party, I just hope people will see through the smoke and mirrors.