If negotiations go well, the Inuit of Nunavik may one day be Canada’s fourth territory. “The goal is to achieve something like Nunavut,” says Paul Bussieres, coordinator of Makivik Corp.’s self-government talks with the Quebec government.
Although the Inuit have been discussing self-government for years, it was only last May that Quebec appointed Francis Fox, a former Justice Minister under Pierre Trudeau, as its negotiator with the Inuit on self-government. Not much of consequence is expected to happen before the provincial election, expected in August or September. The newly elected government may give Fox a different mandate or may select a new negotiator.
But Bussieres says Quebec appears to be open to Inuit demands for much greater autonomy. “There seems to be agreement with Quebec,” he told The Nation. “Right now we have many institutions, like the Kativik Regional Government and the school board. Those institutions are working separately, which creates some problems. Quebec is starting to see the need for rationalization.”
The Inuit are also seeking more powers in a wide range of areas like justice, tourism, housing and economic development.
Negotiations are also getting underway on Inuit off-shore land claims. In late June, Ottawa appointed William Thomas Molloy, the man who was Ottawa’s negotiator on the Nunavut land claim, as its negotiator with the Inuit of Nunavik. The negotiations are expected to be very complicated, and will settle jurisdiction over the waters and islands in James Bay, Hudson Bay, Ungava Bay and the northeast Labrador coast. The talks will involve Nunavik, the federal government, Nunavut and the Crees.
