500 signatures reached
To: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Minister Arif Virani
Inuit know who Inuit are.
In 2005, the Labrador Inuit Lands Claims Agreement (“LILCA”) between Canada, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Labrador Inuit was signed. The treaty affirms and recognises the Constitutionally-protected rights of Labrador Inuit under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
The NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) was originally founded as the Labrador Metis Association (LMA) in 1985.
Inuit of Canada stand united in saying that members of the Nunatukavut Community Council (NCC) are not Inuit.
At the time of the LILCA negotiations, and during the years of preparation and research for the claim, NCC did not identify as Inuit. They rejected any ties to Labrador Inuit and Inuit of Canada, and identified explicitly as Metis. Now they claim to be Inuit.
The NCC’s land claim encroaches into a significant amount of the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area, in Nunatsiavut territory, including the Muskrat Falls and Lower Churchill hydroelectric projects.
Accepting the NCC’s claim undermines the 30-year Land Claim negotiation process that the Labrador Inuit, the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador undertook, resulting in the LILCA which affirmed our rights and responsibilities.
Recognizing NCC as Inuit is harmful and disrespectful. This is not reconciliation. Our rights to this land and to self-government is rooted in our being here since time immemorial. These rights are affirmed through section 35 of the Constitution and through our treaty.
Canada must listen to the unified voices of Inuit and honour our Constitutionally-protected Land Claims Agreement.
Why is this important?
This is Nunatsiavut, Our Beautiful Land—the place where our roots run deep. This is about our land, our people, our history, our self-determination, and our rights. Labrador Inuit have lived on this land for millennia. As its original inhabitants, our footprints are everywhere. We have lived here in harmony with the land, ice and sea – where wildlife, fish and birds thrive.
Canada knows there is only one Inuit collective in Labrador. We are not just protecting our physical boundaries, but also our way of life and our identity.
Recognizing members of the NCC as Inuit is harmful and disrespectful. This is not reconciliation. Tell Canada to follow our lead. Listen to the unified voice of Inuit in Canada and reject the claims from the Nunatukavut Community Council that threaten our way of life.