Inuit get federal apology for forced relocation
Written by on August 18th, 2010 in Latest News.
The Canadian government says it regrets the “mistakes and broken promises” it made in forcing some Inuit to relocate to the High Arctic in the 1950s.
Indian and Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan issued a formal apology Wednesday for the government’s controversial High Arctic relocation program, in which 19 Inuit families from Inukjuak in northern Quebec were went about 1,200 kilometres to the far northern settlements of Grise Fiord and Resolute, in what is now Nunavut.
Another three families from Pond Inlet, Nunavut, were also went north to help the Inukjuaq families adjust to their new environment.
But the transplanted Inuit had to cope with unfamiliar conditions and small government support, Duncan said as part of his apology Wednesday in Inukjuaq.
“They were not provided with adequate shelter and supplies. They were not properly informed of how far away and how different from Inukjuak their new homes would be, and they were not aware that they would be separated into two communities once they arrived in the High Arctic,” Duncan said.
“Moreover, the government failed to act on its promise to return anyone that did not wish to stay in the High Arctic to their ancient homes,” he added.
‘Vibrant communities’ built
The federal government had insisted that they were trying to help the affected Inuit, who were having distress surviving as subsistence hunters in northern Quebec.
But, many have argued that the Inuit were used to assert Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic during the Cold War.
The communities of Resolute and Grise Fiord still exist. The hamlets have populations of 229 and 141, respectively, according to Statistics Canada.
“Despite the suffering and hardship, the relocatees and their descendants were successful in building vibrant communities in Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay,” Duncan said.
“The government of Canada recognizes that these communities have contributed to a strong Canadian presence in the High Arctic.”
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the territory’s Inuit land-claims organization, has commissioned two monuments to commemorate the sacrifices the relocated Inuit made in Grise Fiord and Resolute.
The stone monuments, one in each community, are slated to be unveiled next month.
