Statistics Canada’s 2021 census found the Inuit population outside Inuit Nunangat climbed by 23.3 per cent since 2016. However, interpreting that growth is complicated, says ITK president Natan Obed. (Photo by Corey Larocque)
Why is there an explosion of Inuit growth outside the North? Answer not so simple, says ITK president
Growth could be due to a number of factors, says Natan Obed
The Inuit population outside of Inuit Nunangat is growing at a faster pace than within the Inuit homeland, according to 2021 census data.
But gaining a clear picture from that data — and what impact that could have on programs and policies for Inuit — presents a challenge, says Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed.
In September, Statistics Canada released census data showing the Inuit population outside Inuit Nunangat grew from 17,695 in 2016 to 21,825 in 2021 — a 23.3 per cent increase over five years.
By comparison, growth within Inuit Nunangat was just three per cent during the same period when the population increased from 47,335 to 48,965.
However, Obed said the picture these numbers paint is muddier than it might appear at first glance.
“Yes, there are many Inuit who are living outside of Inuit Nunangat. But we still don’t have a definitive understanding of the stats we are seeing based on the recent release,” he said.
One reason could be that there are more Canadians outside the Inuit homeland who are claiming Inuit heritage over the past 10 years but are not beneficiaries of land claims, according to Obed.
This trend is seen most in southern Labrador and the north shore of southern Quebec.
For example, while the census data may include Inuit living in NunatuKavut, the region in southern Labrador, ITK does not recognize that population as part of its Inuit collective in the same way it recognizes those who have a connection to the regions of Inuit Nunangat, which are Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and Inuvialuit.
Deciding who is part of ITK’s Inuit collective impacts the way the organization creates policy, and the way Inuit-specific federal programs are funded. It could also affect conditions for Inuit-specific land claims settlements, Obed said.
“It’s not easy,” he said. “And it is only recently that it has been a good thing to be an Indigenous person in Canada.”
Despite challenges in interpreting census data on the Inuit population, Obed said ITK has been working with Statistics Canada over the past 10 years to improve the Inuit-specific parts of the census.
In an email, Statistics Canada told Nunatsiaq News that on top of asking people whether they identify as Inuit, Métis or First Nations, the 2021 census also asks whether that person is enrolled or a beneficiary in an Inuit land claims agreement.
Obed said ITK is working to create an urban Inuit task force to be “more in touch with and more respondent to the needs of Inuit who live outside Inuit Nunangat.”
He acknowledged some Inuit are leaving Inuit Nunangat, possibly due to a lack of housing, health care or job opportunities or they could be pursuing positive opportunities as well.
“It isn’t just a negative story, but there certainly are negative aspects to it,” Obed said of the movement of Inuit out of Inuit Nunangat.
This will become more complicated as we go, more non-Inuit have been claiming to be Inuit or indigenous and it is a serious problem.
How and who will determine who is and who is not an Inuk?
Do you have some evidence that is happening, and some useful metric to determine who does and who does not really count?
Evidence? Stats Canada…
Evidence that non-indigenous people are claiming Inuit or indigenous identity?
Yes, there is evidence, and the group is called NunaKAtuvut. It is not up to random people on the internet to provide you with research, do your own.
The burden of proof ALWAYS lies with the person making the claims.
Jonathan Rauch wrote a great book describing different ways our information ecosphere is distorted online.
This is excellent example. Claim evidence without providing any. Pretend no one has responsibility for supporting the claims they make. Argue its up to the receiver of information to find evidence themselves.
Classic ‘troll epistemology’
Umm, except that the Nunakatuvut people are clearly Inuit.
Do you have an example that better supports your opinion?
When is an Inuk no longer indigenous on paper? Yes, they will be forever Inuk in life but on paper such as other juridictions state 1/16 or to proven ancestry? If it is based on life style and knowledge of language, etc. then many non Inuit could try to claim. When is an Inuk no longer an Inuk based on blood??
You’re misunderstanding the statistic mentioned in the article.
It isn’t non Inuit claiming to be. It’s Inuit who aren’t enrolled as beneficiaries or live outside what ITK considers the “Inuit Collective”.
How about Obed work on providing services to Inuit outside Nunavut as required? Hmmm?
How and where is it a requirement? In the agreements?
I don’t see this in the Nunavut Agreement, where can I find this requirement?
ITK’s mandate is to serve all Inuit in Canada, regardless of where they reside.
Thats ITK then, for NTI, RIAs and other Inuit organizations in their homeland this does not take away program funds or funding away from their designated land claim.
I think that’s the point of his comments – If there are more Inuit in southern locations then ITK’s focus, policies, resources need to change to reflect that. That’s why statistics are important – to inform policy and resources and why ITK is working with StatsCan to improve gathering statistics on Inuit in Canada.
You want to no why price of the food up north is so high why would you want to leave up here did I give you the answer you are looking for
Interesting to see Natan hone in on questions of “who really counts.” Of all the possible explanations for these numbers the chosen, and barely subtle subtext, is that there ‘might’ be imposters out there and they might become a drain on resources properly belonging to Inuit.
Can you feel the echoes of Mumilaaq here?
Admittedly, it is a confusing time as identity, in so many of its facets, has become an obsession in our culture, where entirely new categories have been invented along with bizarre lexicons to go with them.
Granted, that is not precisely the case here. Still, I expect this could open a very ugly discussion on who is in and why, and who is out.
It’s always been incredibly confusing as to how Natan ever got this position. Firstly, he’s an extremely privileged and wealthy individual who has absolutely no grasp on what it means to struggle as most Indigenous peoples do. He had a full-ride hockey scholarship at an American school. He’s had life handed to him on a silver platter. Secondly, his priorities are completely backwards. When he should have been focusing on issues like housing and food-affordability, his only focus was on changing a football team’s name – a name that was supported by most Inuit.
He and Trina are exactly the same. They’re ignorant to real issues and only care for their pet projects & ideology, not Inuit.
Your first point as to why he should not lead is very disturbing. So it doesnt matter to you someone is Inuk, if they have been a “privileged and wealthy individual” then they are not a true Inuk because they dont know “what it means to struggle as most Indigenous peoples do”.
So if past traumas and struggles that previous generations went through dont get passed that down to us and we dont pass that down to the next generation then they are less Inuk, because they didnt struggle? The struggle is not what makes someone Inuk.
As to your second point… that one is valid, and at the next election you have a right to vote for someone better, and you even have a right to try and tell your friends and family who would be better, so they can make an informed decision.
You are wrong in suggesting that the previous writer can vote for someone to replace Natan as President of ITK at the next election. That is not how ITK elections work. Ordinary people (Inuit) do not cast a vote.
Thank you for correcting my knowledge on how ITK presidents are elected. ITK’s president is elected by its group of delegates appointed by each of the Inuit Nunangat’s four regional Inuit organizations, for Nunavut that includes NTI and the Regional Inuit Orgs’s. So maybe they need to be held accountable for poor choices in ITK president’s if that is felt to be an issue.
Not on a bed – put him out to the land for a caribou. See where and what he would do.
Without any technology but a simple compass. See where that takes him .
It’s very simple, I know and seen alot of Inuit living in the streets down south due to addiction of hard drugs and easy access to Alcohol. and Yes lack of Housing and Jobs are the main reasons they are moving out of Inuit communities.
Obed will never understand the reality of Inuit face in “Inuit nunangat “ we gave up our rights as Inuit to the Canadian government when Nunavut was created. Why doesn’t he work the monopolies of northwest company and Canadian north? Instead of “creating”” task forces to “help” Inuit outside “Inuit nunangat “ the prices have increased about 20% within a few months. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Prices will rise more with the prices of oil going up. And here the gn is “revieiwing” the minimum wage for the territory. “Not so simple” my ass. It’s getting harder to live in the north with the living expenses and lack of housing available. This is another shit show like the Edmonton eskimos
Unlike First Nations and the criterion under the Indian Act, there is no real definition of Inuit. Who qualifies? Who benefits? All we know is there are those who qualify as beneficiaries to land claims and those who don’t. Does that mean others are not Inuit?
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These are the problems you run into when everyone can self identify as they please. We are seeing more and more fighting within indigenous populations about who qualifies, yet it is apparently an inherent aboriginal right to self identify. Who is the judge and jury? Where the the regulation? All these kinds of rules are “colonial” are they not? Are these populations and their governing authorities now walking the same trail our public governments did long ago, discriminating?
Very simple answer.
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There’s a very severe lack of housing in the north. People want a place to live.
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Inuit control surface rights to 10% of Nunavut, but almost no one is able to have a place to build a home.
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People also want a way to earn a living. The education system in Nunavut generally does not prepare Nunavummiut for life in Nunavut.
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Governments claim to be trying to help. They employ many, well-meaning people.
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But the systems tie everything in knots.
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The North serves the interests of a few well-connected individuals and of some higher-level bureaucrats.
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For everyone else, not so much.
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Taima
Is it really the ‘system’ that is the problem, or it is ‘culture’? I think it is the latter.
The term explosion makes an increase in our population sound negative. It’s not. There is strength in numbers, it’s about time we are noticed and rise up!
Not when it involves kids having children.
Umm, people everywhere have historically left impoverished areas with little opportunity for greener pastures.
The more that things change, the more that they stay the same.
Another possible increase in more Inuit moving south is retiring in the south, medical reasons and yes easier and cheaper access to food, housing, etc. In lot of cases, extended family members follow. One way of determining who is an Inuk is through the use of Non-Insured Health Benefits designation.
This makes me think of those group in Labrador who decided to call themselves Inuit after trying to be Métis did not work.
Whatever happened? Are they recognized as Inuit now?
The answer is simple, but, if you’re disconnected to the Inuit at a community level which many of our leader, representative are today it can be a little confusing.
Reasons why I would leave Nunavut:
– Lack of housing, not just abortable but housing in general. There’s tones of available affordable housing in the south.
– Access to health care, including mental health, no need to be send south if you already live there.
– Access to employment opportunity, lots of jobs in the south, not so much up here.
– Access to services for families, elders, children, all in the south.
– Cost of living, so much cheaper in the south.
– Post secondary education and chances of employment, much greater in the south.
The reason why this is happening are actually pretty straight forward despite what ITK may want you to believe:
– access to affordable housing
– access to better educational opportunities for their kids
– access to better health care, mental health and social services supports
– lower rates of domestic violence, alcohol related violence and social issues caused by overcrowding.
And these are but a few of the reasons that Inuit are leaving Inuit Nunangat in droves
Lack of blood quantum rules for Inuit will mean that one day, several generations away, someone that is 1% inuk will be able to claim Inuk status. Nunavut is only 20 years old, but wait until its 200 years old.
Good, it will expose the absurdity of identity politics.
Please, share with the class what you think that “blood quantum” should be. One grandparent? Two?
Would it be worth getting information of how long Inuit are living in the south. How many are multi generational southern Canadian Inuit. Or are they mostly Inuit that cant find housing and jobs here? also maybe ask if they would come back it there were houses and jobs available or are they happy to stay in the south now that they have settled there.
Well, at the public school that I retired from in Ottawa last year we had several ‘multi-generational’ (not to mention multi-ethnic) Inuk students, so I can only imagine that the number will increase over the years.
When you see the way many Inuit live and what is condoned as “IQ”, is it really any wonder there is a migration out? Even Without all the social issues Inuit are escaping I imagine most people leave for the basic reasons of lifestyle improvement and better weather. Now, let’s hire an indigenous consulting firm with deep ties to leadership to study this for $500,000 of taxpayer money.
“some Inuit are leaving Inuit Nunangat, possibly due to a lack of housing, health care or job opportunities or they could be pursuing positive opportunities as well.”
Are not housing, health care or job opportunity pursuits positive. Add in education. That is life style or career opportunities. It seemed to have benefited Obed and many others who are now leaders. This is some kind of twisted logic in any context. Perhaps an extension of this logic is “don’t improve because you may come back and take my job”. The proposal to have a complete education in Inuktituit, again is very confusing. Where and how will it ever benefit the individual or the collective? Isolationist ideals are not the answer.
You are absolutely right! Better overall
Life down south where there are many places and many things to do ! Better education for the kids and lots of places for kids as well to develop socially and mentally, down south offer educationally healthy learning and living unlike the territory of Nunavut. Government does nothing much for social and economical growth within each of its communities. That’s where our elected MLA’s should intervene with their – so called knowledge and get somewhere in the legislature for their own communities!
Does this mean that our land claims are failing us? Are we creating opportunities that don’t appeal to our Inuit? We have created a land of opportunities to others but not us. We as Inuit have claimed one of the riches areas like Nuluujaat yet our land claims organization is silent on the potential growth and benefit to our people. Nuluujaat can become the center of excellence for Inuit like Ottawa is for Inuit. If Nuluujaat became a community for Inuit with community infrastructure more Inuit families would be willing to move and work where housing can be provided with ownership options. We have more Inuit moving south that is greater than any other Inuit community population. Our own Inuit development corps are not even supporting smaller community development opportunities to rent out to the government. NTI QC needs a shake up and realize they need to support Nuluujat and the communities to grow with land and financial support from the agreement otherwise we will lose our Inuit to the southern centers. Look at TI in ottawa, they provide more support for Inuit compared to an actual Inuit community. Tunngasuvingat Inuit gets support from the provincial federal ITK and NTI but a place like iglulik will not get the same supports due to lack of capacity but of course Ottawa has capacity because they have the population. Land claims orgs wake up we are losing our Inuit to where there is more supports for them
I’m not even Inuit and I’m concerned about their culture. Some serious questions need to be asked why they are moving South. No easy answers, but it is concerning when many young Inuk cannot even speak Inuktut.
I’d be interested to understand how many Inuit went, and stayed south due to Covid restrictions in communities. Going south for better access to work, live, and grow. How many people left to avoid the shut downs and beurocity that Covid brought. I suspect the mines closing to Inuit helped this migration in addition the endless other challenges that living in Nunavut communities bring. The same rhetoric year after year makes one want to go where the grass may actually be greener.
I must be confused. Why would anyone in their right mind want to live in Nunavut? Except for the high paying government jobs there is no reason.
Simple answer – Nunavut is the most remote and most expensive territory on this whole Earth
Everywhere else on Earth is cheaper by at least 80% . Gn is the culprit for mass migration down south where a steak cost 5-10$ north 25-35$ for a 1/2” paper thin steak . All the caribou are owned by the government now and nobody allowed to get any without a tag. The government of Nunavut is the most cheapest to each nunavumiut
In the whole world. Nobody in their right mind would pay 6$ For an orange and for a 5$ apple !
Our MLa’s are just listening to each other without any commitments for their constituents who voted them in. Get the picture ?
NunatuKavut: From Metis to Inuit in 25 years.
NunatuKavut is not Inuit. They are frauds.
Timeline:
1985 – Labrador Metis Association.
1998 – Labrador Metis Nation.
Between 1998 and 2010 – Labrador Inuit Metis.
2010 – NunatuKavut Inuit Government.
The federal government (Stats Canada) is cooking the numbers to fit the NunatuKavut (Inuit) narrative. The Inuit are not leaving the North for Southern Labrador. Stats Canada is adding numbers.