Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee Leaders Meet to Advance Shared Priorities Towards a More Prosperous Inuit Nunangat

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 8, 2024 /CNW/ - Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, co-chaired the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC) today in Ottawa.

Elected Inuit leadership and federal cabinet ministers participate in the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee meeting on November 8, 2024 in Ottawa. From left to right, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; Lisa Qiluqqi Koperqualuk, President, Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada; Pita Aatami, President, Makivvik; Nancy Etok, Chair, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada; Johannes Lampe, President, Nunatsiavut; the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs Canada; the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; Natan Obed, President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami; and, Paul Irngaut, Vice President, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. Not pictured: Duane Smith, Chair and CEO, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation; the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada; the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence. (Photo courtesy of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami) (CNW Group/Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada)

Since the signing of the Inuit Nunangat Declaration in 2017, Inuit leadership and the Government of Canada have continued to work together through the ICPC towards a renewed Inuit-Crown relationship based on the recognition of rights, respect, and cooperation. The last meeting of ICPC leaders took place in May 2024 and was chaired by President Obed and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

During Friday's meeting, ICPC leaders discussed progress on a range of priority areas, including co-development of a federal policy on Inuit K-12 Education, which would support the commitments outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan. Federal Ministers also reiterated their support to work with Inuit leadership towards the creation of an Inuit Nunangat University.

Leaders acknowledged the collaboration that has taken place to ensure that an Arctic Foreign Policy reflects Inuit self-determination and positions Inuit as vital and active partners in the conduct of international relations in Inuit Nunangat.

Inuit and federal partners also discussed measures to advance a whole-of-government approach to Food Security in Inuit Nunangat, including efforts to transform Nutrition North Canada into a more data-driven program that better serves and is accountable to Inuit communities.

ICPC members committed to pursue legislative and non-legislative avenues for working together to address racism in the healthcare system, continuing work that had taken place through ICPC towards the development of federal Indigenous health legislation. Leaders also discussed the implementation of the Inuit Nunangat Policy, endorsed by the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee in 2022. In particular, they discussed developing whole-of-government approaches to ensure that all federal departments and agencies apply an Inuit Nunangat lens to the design of their policies, programs, services, and initiatives.

Inuit and federal leaders also reviewed  ITK's 2025 pre-budget submission, which focuses on specific high-priority areas that align with Government of Canada commitments, policies, and initiatives.

Finally, leaders celebrated the advancement of decades of work on an upcoming federal acknowledgement and apology for the Government of Canada's role in the slaughter of sled dogs in Nunavik during the 1950s and 1960s.

Quotes

"In this 8th year of our Inuit-Crown partnership, we continue to have purposeful, open discussions with Ministers of the Crown to address the real needs of Inuit in Canada. I am proud to see the advances we've made in this space. ICPC provides a structured process for Inuit and the Crown to identify and advance shared priorities. I look forward to building on the progress we have made together to create a stronger Canada, one that respects and implements the rights of all Inuit."

Natan Obed
President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

"From land claim implementation, to housing, to health care, Inuit are advocating for and driving solutions — and have been doing so for generations. Our government is committed to being an engaged and trusted partner in this work. The Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee provides an important space to listen and work directly on shared priorities. Together, we are committed to advancing Inuit rights, Inuit self-determination, and wellbeing across Inuit Nunangat."

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Participants at Friday's meeting included:

• Natan Obed, President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
• Duane Smith, Chair and CEO, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
• Paul Irngaut, Vice President, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
• Johannes Lampe, President, Nunatsiavut
• Pita Aatami, President, Makivvik
• Lisa Qiluqqi Koperqualuk, President, Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada
• Nancy Etok, Chair, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
• Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada
• Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs Canada
• Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada
• Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
• Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
• Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence

Quick facts

• The Inuit Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC) meets three times a year and is chaired by the President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Once a year, the ICPC meeting is chaired by the ITK President and the Prime Minister.
  
  
• On April 21, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Natan Obed of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, alongside federal Cabinet ministers and the elected Inuit leadership from the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Makivvik, and the Nunatsiavut Government, endorsed the historic Inuit Nunangat Policy at a meeting of the ICPC.
  
  
• The Inuit Nunangat Policy outlines an approach to the design and renewal of all federal policies, programs, services, and initiatives that apply to Inuit Nunangat or benefit Inuit. This approach will improve coordination across Inuit Nunangat and ensure engagement with Inuit in these processes.
  
  
• ICPC Priority areas include Economic Development and Procurement; Education, Early Learning and Skills Development; Environment and Climate Change; Health and Wellness; Homelessness; Housing; Infrastructure; International Inuit Priorities; Inuit Land Claims Implementation; Inuit Nunangat Policy Space; Inuktut Revitalization, Maintenance, Protection and Promotion; Legislative Priorities; Reconciliation Measures and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; and Sovereignty, Defence and Security.
  
  
• Inuit Nunangat is the Inuit homeland in Canada. It encompasses the land, water, and ice of four treaty regions represented by the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik in Northern Quebec, and Nunatsiavut in Northern Labrador.

Associated links

• Inuit Nunangat Policy
• Inuit Nunangat Declaration on Inuit-Crown Partnership
• Inuit-Crown Co-Development Principles
• Map of Inuit Nunangat
• Inuit-specific Child Welfare Data Discussion Paper

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

For more information, media may contact: Patricia D'Souza, Director of Communications, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, 613-292-4482, [email protected]; Gregory Frame, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, [email protected]; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-934-2302, [email protected]