Products such as sealskin poppies are for sale at a new Indigenous retail centre in the Edmonton International Airport. (File photo)
Nunavut, Nunavik mark Remembrance Day
Nunavut government offices are closed, but IT staff continue efforts to deal with systems breach
Throughout Nunavut, municipal, territorial and federal government services will be largely closed or suspended for Remembrance Day today.
And many communities, including Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay, have planned Remembrance Day commemorations for 11 a.m.
These recognize the armistice that ended the First World War, which came into effect at Nov. 11 at 11 a.m.—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement was signed at a late-night ceremony in Quebec City on Nov.11, 1975, by Inuit leaders Charlie Watt (second from right) and Zebedee Nungak, and by then-Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa and Cree Chief Billy Diamond. (FILE PHOTO)
In Nunavik, Monday is not a federal statutory holiday, but it’s a holiday all the same, as Nunavimmiut celebrate James Bay and Northern Quebec Day.
This year marks the 44th anniversary of the region’s land claim.
It was Canada’s first modern comprehensive land claims agreement, and led to greater political autonomy for the Inuit of northern Quebec through the creation of the Kativik Regional Government and Makivik Corp.
On Monday, Government of Nunavut offices throughout the territory will be closed, although computer technicians will continue to work at getting the GN back online following the recent ransomware attack.
As of Friday afternoon, there was no update on their efforts to repair the damage from the ransomware attack that took down the GN’s communications and operations system on Nov. 2.
In Iqaluit, city offices will be closed for Remembrance Day and trucked services will also be restricted during this time.
Iqaluit residents who wish to have water delivery on Monday may call the city’s dispatch service at 979-5650 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but a service charge of $250 will be applied for emergency delivery, the city said.
Regular business hours and trucked services will resume on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Post went from Remembrance Day to a little description of JBNQA, then off to nunavummiut and to showcase who’s got a day off, more “related” stories added in, even water delivery is advertised.
What about Nunavik 44 years since the FIRST modern land claims agreement? This is Unfair media sharing and often undeserving news over the other when it deserves its equal representation.
Shall i repeat. It’s November 11, remember the great men and women who fought for us. We are free from the evils of germany, japan. But here we are in nunavik playing bingo, having a contest for guessing the director of this and that. Makivik, the days of abuse, I remember them well. But its no attention to the greatness of those who fought and died, even for inuit.
Bingo , very important to the people of Nunavik, more inportant , then a minute of silence for the dead.
Many Inuit were in the wars also. I don’t understand the ignorance in Nunavik about that. We have Canadian rangers with no knowledge as to that time and place. Off course we have a great budget for rations and all, they some good too, with a few displaced army cadets coming to our land , with great pride as to our struggle to get the old 303 firing. We need to be ashame the next time that big old army plane touches down on our tarmat. With anbunch of monet spending camouflage veterans on board. Bingo.
Lest We Forget
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/nunavut-nunavik-mark-remembrance-day/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields
“In Flanders Fields” is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially dissatisfied with his work, discarded it. “In Flanders Fields” was first published on December 8 of that year in the London magazine Punch.
In Flanders Fields and Other Poems, a 1919 collection of McCrae’s works, contains two versions of the poem: a printed text as below and a handwritten copy where the first line ends with “grow” instead of “blow”, as discussed under Publication:[9]
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
was a soldier, physician and poet.
Part of our history!
I hope that people remember to donate the profits from the sealskin poppies to the veteran’s association.
Our teacher (Korean War Veteran) would make us stand at attention for a full minute of silence at November 11, 11:00 a.m. to remember the fallen soldiers who fought for our freedom. We also sang “God save the Queen”, “O Canada”, and watched the National Film Board of Canada at school before November 11 arrived. We learned of WW1, WW11, The Korean War, which made us appreciate our own fallen soldiers. Where ever Mr. Freeman is (Windosor Ont.?) Thank you for making us respect…Aituu Weetaltuk also served in the Korean War and he was an Inuk who changed his name to Vital to enlist to the war so to avoid being rejected for being an Inuk. Many stories of courage are still not told….Lest we forget.