HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, LABRADOR, April 9, 2025 – NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) President Todd Russell issued the following statement in response to the recent release of Memorial University’s draft Indigenous Verification Policy:
“NCC stands with and behind all NunatuKavut Inuit, including our young people, faculty, staff and alumni, who are being harmed by Memorial University’s draft Indigenous Verification Policy. The policy would exclude NunatuKavut Inuit from eligibility to be considered Indigenous – something which the University has no authority to determine (and has never done so in the past). NCC will take all necessary action, on-the ground, legal and political, to prevent this institution from implementing the draft policy and erasing NunatuKavut Inuit from the rich tapestry of Indigenous students, faculty and staff at Memorial University.
Let us remind you that NunatuKavut Inuit are:
- The Indigenous people of south and central Labrador
- Beneficiaries of the 1765 British–Inuit Treaty.
- Engaged in formal rights-based negotiations with the Government of Canada under the Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination (RIRSD) process.
- The 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between Canada and NCC affirms our status as an Indigenous collective capable of holding Section 35 rights.
- Recognized by courts, federal and provincial governments, and other academic institutions.
- Contributors to Memorial University through decades of NunatuKavut Inuit alumni and research partnership, including the creation of the Labrador Campus, represented as an Indigenous group under the constitution of the new campus.
The draft policy has been designed in such a way that, if implemented, would exclude NunatuKavut Inuit as an Indigenous people from our province’s only university. For example, it defines “Recognized Indigenous Collective” in a manner which can require recognition by other federally recognized Indigenous groups in order for a student to be considered Indigenous. This requirement alone adopts exclusion as a principle by ignoring the diversity of Indigenous realities in this province and across Canada. It opens the door to political gatekeeping, lateral violence, and the continued colonization of Indigenous peoples at the hands of academic institutions.
Furthermore, the definition of “Recognized Indigenous Collective” adopted by Memorial University in the draft policy is misaligned with and disregards the federal government’s Tri- Council Policy Statement on Indigenous collectives, citizenship and membership. For example, the Tri-Council Policy defines “Recognized Indigenous Collective” to include Indigenous Collectives in the process of negotiation through RIRSD instruments, including Memoranda of Understanding. The definition that appears in Memorial’s draft policy is narrower in a material way, and perhaps deliberately so, as NunatuKavut Inuit clearly meet the requirements of the Tri-Council Policy.
NCC cannot help but question why Memorial University continues to ignore academic and legal evidence, oral histories, and international protocols that seek to protect and uphold our Indigenous right to self-determine. This is an affront to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) Articles 3 and 33, which affirm Indigenous peoples’ rights to self-identification and self-determination. It also contradicts Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution, which affirms Indigenous rights.
If the draft policy becomes final, Memorial University will have approved definitions and procedures which exclude and erase NunatuKavut Inuit. If left unchanged, the draft policy will undoubtedly fracture Indigenous relations in this province and irreparably damage the University’s integrity.
We therefore demand the following immediate actions from Memorial University:
- Rescind the Indigenous Verification Policy in its current form and suspend implementation.
- Initiate an independent review of the role of the Office of the Vice President –Indigenous (VPI).
- Remove the VPI for demonstrated and repeated conflict of interest and bias toward NunatuKavut Inuit.
- Engage in a government-to-government dialogue with NCC to co-develop an inclusive, transparent, and rights-based process around verification grounded in Canadian Aboriginal law, principles of Indigenous law and legal traditions, and international rights and legal instruments like UNDRIP.
Memorial is Newfoundland and Labrador’s university. Its name stands as a testament to those who served in wartime and NunatuKavut Inuit were among those who gave their lives to serving this province and this country. It is unconscionable that this same university would dishonour the descendants of those very same people. Something has gone terribly wrong for the draft policy to have reached the public consultation phase in its current form – the outcome of which would be outrageously abhorrent and egregious. The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador must act now to right the ship. We call on the Premier to intervene and reject Memorial’s flawed Indigenous verification policy and to affirm NCC’s recognition and inclusion (as it currently stands within Labrador Campus’ constitution), directing the university to do the same.
Memorial University bears great responsibility here and they do have an opportunity to course correct — and to do so in a way that reflects the values of truth, reconciliation, and respect. This is a test of leadership and integrity.”
About: The NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) is a governing organization that represents the rights and interests of Inuit who come from south and central Labrador. NCC is committed to advancing section 35 rights, and the interests and priorities of NunatuKavut Inuit. Rooted in the rich traditions and culture of NunatuKavut Inuit, NCC works diligently towards self-government and self-determination, while fostering community growth and sustainability.
NCC has made many significant steps in achieving recognition with the Courts and various commissions, federal and provincial governments, and the United Nations.
To learn more about NCC and NunatuKavut Inuit, please visit our website at www.nunatukavut.ca and we invite you to check out our “Our Story” page which helps tell our story. Please also join in the conversation at facebook.com/nunatukavut, X/Twitter @nunatukavut and Instagram @nunatukavutinuit.
Media Contact:
Kelly Broomfield
Chief Communications Officer
T. 709-280-5965
E. communications@nunatukavut.ca