HAPPY VALLEY–GOOSE BAY, LABRADOR — The NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) is today sharing a copy of a Government of Canada report that positively affirms NunatuKavut Inuit rights.
The federal Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs sought an external independent review of the evidence provided by NCC in support of our Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination (RIRSD) process. They retained the Laurier Research Group (LRG) to conduct this review and to prepare a report.
“Despite our many requests to be involved in the process, it proceeded without any involvement or commentary from NCC,” said President Russell.
Nonetheless, the LRG reviewed the extensive evidence provided by NCC, as well as evidence from independent third party and peer-reviewed academic sources. NCC received the report (available here) and has undertaken a review. It clearly validates the overwhelming evidence that NCC has been providing to Canada for years. Some of the conclusions set out in the LRG Report are outlined out below:
- The Inuit of Southern Labrador are a historic Indigenous collective.
- The British-Inuit Treaty of 1765 recognized our rights to self-governance, resource harvesting, and territorial autonomy. These rights are now held by NunatuKavut communities.
- Extensive archaeological, historical, and ethnohistorical evidence confirms Inuit long-term use and occupation of NunatuKavut and supports our land claim.
- European men integrated into and lived as part of Inuit families and kinship networks.
- Southern Inuit women helped ensure the continuity of Inuit culture.
- Evidence supports both a single historic Inuit collective in Labrador, as well as the development of two distinct collectives over time.
- NCC members are recognized as the modern descendants of the Inuit of central and southern Labrador. We have maintained a continuous connection to our ancestral lands and culture.
“CIRNAC is now claiming that the LRG did not fulfill contractual requirements. Canada has provided NCC with no evidence to substantiate that assertion,” said President Russell. “Communication from CIRNAC in relation to the report is clear: they intend to shelve the report so that it never sees the light of day.”
Canada has continually failed in its responsibility and duty to NunatuKavut Inuit. This is particularly clear in Canada’s failure to uphold the spirit and intent of the RIRSD process and the MOU. It is also evident in the enforcement actions that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is taking in its response to NCC’s implementation of its fish harvesting plan.
“The ongoing delays and denial of our land claim is causing real harm,” said President Russell. “This harm is readily apparent in the continued lateral violence against our people by other Indigenous groups and our exclusion from educational institutions. It is also obvious in the way our people are being made out to be criminals for merely exercising our rights to put food on the table.”
NCC calls on Canada to do the right thing and to come to the negotiating table once again to advance our land claims process. Respecting and upholding NunatuKavut Inuit rights would go a long way in helping ensure the safety, health and well-being of our people.
Media Contact:
Kelly Broomfield
Chief Communications Officer
T. 709-280-5965
E. communications@nunatukavut.ca
About the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC): NCC is the governing organization that represents the rights and interests of Inuit from south and central Labrador. Rooted in the rich traditions and culture of NunatuKavut Inuit, NCC is advancing section 35 rights, working diligently toward self-government and self-determination, and fostering sustainable communities for the future.
Learn more at www.nunatukavut.ca. Join the conversation at facebook.com/nunatukavut, X/Twitter @nunatukavut and Instagram @nunatukavutinuit.