Nunavik self-governance: Quebec signs new negotiation agreement

To advance discussions on the modernization of Nunavik’s governance, Quebec and the Makivik Corporation endorsed a new negotiation agreement.

They say it’s an important step in the process of achieving a more comprehensive agreement between the François Legault government and the Inuit nation.

“This is something that we’ve been dreaming about for the last 55 years,” said Pita Aatami, president of the Makivik Corporation.

Since 2003, three agreements have been signed on the establishment of the Nunavik Regional Government and the terms and conditions for its creation and operation.

“For us, this is the beginning of a new friendship with Quebec,” Aatami said. “This is something that we want to see. We want to do this in partnership. We welcome our fellow Quebecers because there’s a lot of Quebecers. There’s over seven million Quebecers. Maybe 100,000 of them have seen Nunavik, maybe less. Majority of them will never see Nunavik. I don’t want to be seen as a place to get minerals. I want them to see a place of beauty.

“We are a welcoming people, but we want to do this with you instead of being told how you should conduct yourself, what you should be doing in your own home. Because I just gave a map to Premier Legault to show that we have a very intensive land use area of all of Nunavik, which is a huge territory. It’s bigger than the country of Britain. It has close to 14,000 people. And it’s still our dream.”

Legault says they will return to the table to formally negotiate the governance agreement for Nunavik in 2024.

“Our nation shares a territory and we need to continue working together for the good of our people,” he said.