PM Carney discusses ‘serious immediate priorities’ with Inuit leaders

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Arctic sovereignty and affordability are top of mind as he attends an Inuit-Crown partnership meeting in Quebec.

KUUJJUAQ, Que. – Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Kuujjuaq, Que., on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Inuit–Crown Partnership Committee.

Ahead of the gathering of elected Inuit and federal government officials in the northern Quebec region of Nunavik, Carney said he was looking forward to the day, while noting there were “serious immediate priorities” that he intended to discuss with Inuit leaders.

Among the top issues discussed were Arctic sovereignty and affordability in Canada’s North.

“We have made some significant progress, but we’ve also discovered areas where we can deepen co-operation,” Carney said in his opening remarks at the meeting. “We have a number of pressing immediate issues that we will address today.”

Arctic foreign policy, food security, health and wellness, as well as ongoing plans to help build an Inuit Nunangat University were also on the agenda for a meeting that ran slightly longer than initially scheduled.

CTV News was on the ground covering the prime minister’s visit and the Inuit–Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC) meeting.

The ICPC has been a permanent bilateral forum for engagement since the signing of the Inuit Nunangat Declaration in 2017. With a core focus on addressing systemic inequities and supporting Inuit prosperity, leaders meet three times a year to advance issues of shared importance and strengthen relations.

Carney and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) – the national organization representing the 65,000 Inuit in Canada – President Natan Obed led Tuesday’s gathering, marking the one time annually that the prime minister chairs the meeting.

“We do not take Canada’s leadership or partnership for granted,” Obed said to the town hall full of stakeholders on Tuesday morning. “We stand with Canada as proud Canadians, but as in any working relationship, there’s always room for improvement.”

Defence Minister David McGuinty, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty, Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency Rebecca Chartrand and Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty also attended the meeting, as did Liberal MP Lori Idlout.

Carney called it the largest cabinet delegation to attend one of these meetings in an Innuit community, stating that it “underscores how vital this table is.”

Inuit leadership from across the country were also around the table, as was Canada’s Arctic Ambassador Virginia Mearns.

Past recent meetings between Inuit leadership and government officials have focused on the prime minister’s push to greenlight more major projects and how the Building Canada Act will be implemented in line with Inuit treaties; infrastructure gaps from northern housing to transportation; as well as Arctic defence and security.

These conversations continued Tuesday.

“Let’s be clear, this is your homeland. You are the rights holders and we need and will embed Inuit perspectives and knowledge in our approach and partner with your businesses,” the prime minister told attendees.

After the meeting, Inuit leadership told reporters that despite some tension heading into the meeting, they think Carney took their concerns about ensuring their people are considered in any major decision, seriously.

Now, they say they’ll be watching to see if he follows through.

Tuesday afternoon, before departing Kujjuaq, the prime minister participated in a community event at a location that is also the site of a regional addiction recovery and healing centre.

There, he was gifted a traditional Inuit harpoon, and ministers were given Inuit soapstone carvings of Arctic wildlife. The group also took in a throat singing demonstration before sitting down at picnic tables to share a meal.