Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᐱᕇᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, meaning "Inuit are united in Canada"),[2] previously known as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Eskimo Brotherhood of Canada),[3][4][5] is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit across Inuit Nunangat and the rest of Canada.[6] Their mission is to "serve as a national voice protecting and advancing the rights and interests of Inuit in Canada."[2]
Abbreviation
ITK
1971
Inuit organization
active
advocate and public voice, educator and network
Canada
English, Inuktitut
Founded in 1971 by Inuit leaders, the organization has gone on to accomplish various Inuit priorities such as assisting in the negotiation of land claims, representing the voice of Inuit and their culture by using television, taking legal action against those who have violated their rights, and creating a programme to improve education for Inuit children. The ITK has sought to attain its goals either in cooperation with various levels of government or in opposition.[7] Altogether, the ITK looks to advocate on the behalf of Inuit in Canada.[8] The contributions of the ITK led to the creation of Nunavut.[9]
Goals[edit]
The goals of ITK have changed over the years as they have continued to make progress in defending Inuit rights. In the beginning the organizations main focus was on the preservation of Inuit land, throughout the 1970s and 1980s Inuit have negotiated four land claim agreements with the federal government. In 1975, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and Complementary Agreements (JBNQA) was reached; in 1984 the Inuvialuit Final Agreement was reached; in 1993 the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was settled; and finally in 2003 the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement was settled.[15] Although the importance of land claims remains an objective for ITK they have also shifted their focus on more social issues surrounding Inuit. Those include preserving culture heritage and Inuit languages and raising awareness concerning education, healthcare, environment, climate change and economic development.[15][25] The creation of Inuit organization, such as the ITK, have aided in forming a partnership with the Government of Canada to discuss domestic and international issues.
Activities[edit]
Hamlet of Baker Lake v. Minister of Indian Affairs[edit]
In 1979, the ITC was seeking an injunction to stop the mineral exploration at Baker Lake, Northwest Territories. The plaintiffs, Baker Lake Hunters and Trappers Association, the ITC and the 112 Inuit who lived and hunted in Baker Lake at the time, took the Canadian federal government to court in Hamlet of Baker Lake v. Minister of Indian Affairs.[26] The case raised questions concerning aboriginal rights, more specifically their right to hunt caribou. The plaintiffs sought to stop the mining activities happening in the area and for a declaration to be made that Baker Lake was subject to an Inuit aboriginal title to hunt and fish.[27] The case concluded by Judge Pat Mahoney of the Federal Court of Canada recognized the existence of Aboriginal Title in Nunavut.[28]
Inukshuk Project[edit]
In the late 1970s, the ITC launched the Inukshuk Project, named for the Inuksuk, which was the first involvement of Inuit on broadcast television.[2] In April 1974, the Cabinet approved a procedure that all Canadian communities, with a minimum population of five hundred, would have media broadcast in English or French.[29] James Arvaluk, ITC president at the time, objected to the Cabinets' decision because of the lack of local representation of Inuit communities.[30]> As a result, they launched the Inukshuk Project, which targeted the Inuit population, allowing them to communicate about important issues and exchange information in their own language.[31] From the Inukshuk Project, the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) was created in 1980, a television broadcasting company based in Nunavut, in which the majority of programs are broadcast in Inuktitut.[32] The IBC has employed some of Nunavut's most distinguished media personalities and leaders.
Canadian Human Rights Commission's Soberman Report[edit]
In 1990, the ITC made a complaint to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) concerning the relocations of Inuit families. In 1953 and 1955, the Canadian Government decided to relocate families from Inukjuak in Northern Quebec to the far north as part of the High Arctic relocation.[33] The DIAND found that the Government of Canada acted appropriately and would not apologize for the relocation of Inuit. ITC then appealed to the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), and they proceeded to investigate.[34] The ITC asked for three things, recognition of their contribution to the Canadian claim to territorial sovereignty in the High Arctic; an apology for the hardship that Inuit suffered in Grise Fiord and Resolute; and compensation for the wrongs done to them.[35] The CHRC report recommended that the Government should acknowledge and publicly thank the contribution of the Inuit relocated to the High Arctic; apologize for the shortcomings in planning the relocation; and acknowledge that it promised those Inuit who wished to go back to Northern Quebec the opportunity to do so within, at most, three years of being relocated.[36]
National Strategy on Inuit Education[edit]
In 1976, the ITK proposed their first land claims to the federal government in which education reform was at the forefront of the proposal. The National Strategy on Inuit Education was launched in 2006 by Mary Simon, former President of ITK, as a national education initiative focused on improving outcomes in Inuit education and being on par with the rest of Canada.[37] It would lead to a summit in the Northwest Territories about Inuit education in 2008. The objective of the strategy is to increase the confidence of Inuit children in their language, culture and opportunities.[38] Less than 25% of Inuit student who are enrolled in school actually graduate. They list three core areas to improve education outcomes across Inuit Nunangat: supporting children to help them stay in school; providing a bilingual curriculum to achieve literacy in the Inuit language and at least one of Canada's official languages, and learning resources that are relevant to the Inuit culture, history and worldview; increasing the number of education leaders and bilingual educators in our schools and early childhood programs.[37]
Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee[edit]
In February 2017, the ITK and the Government of Canada, under the government of Justin Trudeau, created the Inuit-Partnership Committee (ICPC).[39][40] The purpose of the ICPC is to pursue goals that are common to both the Inuit and the Crown.[39] The committee is co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the president of the ITK at one meeting a year, while subsequent annual meetings are co-chaired by the president of the ITK and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.[41] Other members of the committee include select federal ministers, the presidents of the four regional land claims organizations, and the presidents of National Inuit Youth Council, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, and the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada (as observers).[40]
The ICPC has several areas of focus which include: Inuit-Crown land claims; Inuit Nunangat policy space; Inuktut revitalization, maintenance, protection, and promotion; reconciliation measures; education, early learning, and training; health and wellness; the environment and climate change; housing and infrastructure, economic development and procurement; and legislative priorities.[42] To combat climate change the ITK focused on five areas in their national climate change strategy. The five areas being: capacity building, health and environment, food systems, infrastructure and energy.[43] The federal government has pledged $1 million for the strategy in a multi-year funding plan which will go to the five areas in the strategy plan.[44] In March 2020, it was also made a focus, under the heading of Reconciliation, for an action plan to be developed and implemented to contend with the calls to justice of the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.[42]
Canada Goose Project[edit]
Canada Goose is a high end premium Canadian brand that sells winter apparel such as hats, jackets, gloves, vests, pants and parkas. It is in high demand in pop culture as actors, athletes, rappers and many high-profile celebrities wear this brand. In 2019, Canada Goose and ITK agreed to collectively collaborate with each other for their January, 2019 launch.[45] The collaboration is known as Project Atigi in which 20 Inuit representatives will be working and creating parka designs for Project Atigi.[45] These projects are influenced by the traditional clothing and culture of the Inuit. There will be future collection drops in the project with Inuit representatives chosen by ITK.