Ullakut. Good morning. I bring greetings from our president, Martha Greig, and our board of directors, Inuit women from across Canada's high north, as well as youth and urban Inuit women who could not be here on such short notice—we were called last night at six o'clock—and who have tasked me, their executive director, with carrying their important message on their behalf.
The primary purpose of this presentation is to respectfully request that Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada be recognized in the Government of Canada's 2007 budget. Pauktuutit is a vital national organization with a unique mandate that provides the Inuit women of Canada with a united voice to improve the social, economic, and political conditions for Inuit women, their children, and their communities. In addition, Pauktuutit provides leadership to encourage Inuit women to take their rightful place in Canada's society. And I think it's not one bit of an exaggeration to say that with the exception of their children, they're arguably the most marginalized people in Canada.
With this submission, Pauktuutit makes four recommendations that advance the interests of Inuit women and benefit all Inuit women in Canada. It is sincerely hoped and requested that these recommendations are afforded due and serious consideration.
Inuit women are the keepers of the light, which means they're the custodians of the qulliq, which is the traditional Inuit oil lamp that we've all seen in the movies, formerly the only source of light, warmth, and cooking for Inuit. Without the qulliq, Inuit would never have survived the harsh conditions of Canada's Arctic. The qulliq symbolizes survival as well as physical and emotional well-being. Inuit women are keepers of the light and now play a similar crucial and integral role in governing their communities and their society.
You might ask what Canada's Inuit women have to do with your important theme for the current budget deliberations, Canada's place in a competitive world. In less than four minutes, let me try to answer that question.
Inuit have by far the highest rates of poverty, the highest rates of unemployment, the lowest levels of formal education, the highest cost of living, the lowest levels of housing quality and availability, and the highest, by far, suicide rates among all Canadians. Since Inuit women truly are the keepers of the light, many of these appalling circumstances are disproportionately borne by them.
Pauktuutit's mandate is to foster greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women and to support them by providing leadership, voice, and program excellence for the benefit of themselves, their families, and communities in the areas of equity, health, social well-being, cultural traditions, and economic development. In point of fact, Pauktuutit is the primary and almost always only national organization that develops and implements programs to put into action the Government of Canada's policy agenda in Canada's north. Let me just state that again: Pauktuutit is the primary and almost always only national organization that develops and implements programs to put into action the Government of Canada's policy agenda in Canada's north.
Yet despite the breadth of Pauktuutit's work, the organization is usually severely marginalized in influence and limited in resources compared to resources made available to the other five national aboriginal organizations. Though Pauktuutit is broadly recognized as one of six Canadian national aboriginal organizations, this status has yet to be acknowledged formally by the Government of Canada. This failure translates into critical discrimination against Inuit women in terms of Pauktuutit's mandate to independently represent them at policy tables, and it also results in our inequitable access to funding to engage in our important work in northern communities, support that is provided to the other NAOs.
Why does it matter in the broad competitive world we find ourselves in? Well, Canada is seen around the world as a leader in human rights, equity, and fairness. It reflects well on us internationally when our record at home is strong, fair, and consistent. It is in this context that Pauktuutit respectfully makes the following four recommendations.
One, in order to fulfill its commitment to gender equity, it is recommended that the Government of Canada provide Pauktuutit financial support and recognition commensurate with that provided to the other five NAOs. Pauktuutit seeks adequate multi-year funding to allow the organization to contribute to the critical issues facing Inuit women, their families, and communities with the same stature, resources, and influence afforded the others.
The second recommendation is that the Government of Canada funding considerations reflect the disparity between the social conditions faced by Inuit families and those of other Canadians. Further, these considerations factor in the unique high costs of transportation, health, social services, housing, food, and fuel in the Arctic.
Three, that the Government of Canada put tools and instruments in place that encourage, support, and develop inter- and multi-departmental program partnerships and funding frameworks for programming dollars. There is now growing recognition that not only cost effectiveness, but broader, overall success on the ground may be achieved through multi-dimensional, holistic strategies that cut across the mandates of many traditional departments and agencies. Such an initiative must recognize the unique challenges and costs associated with arctic programming and include tools to ensure gender equality.
Four, it is recommended that the Government of Canada commit to appropriately support the contribution that Pauktuutit makes to international issues and agencies. A practical long-term commitment of human and financial resources will ensure effective and meaningful participation in international events and practical contribution to the critical issues that indigenous women are facing around the world.
These are our four recommendations. As mentioned above, Pauktuutit is the national organization that represents all Inuit women. We have strong democratic roots across all Inuit communities and within southern urban areas. Through Pauktuutit, Inuit women have a clear and unimpeded voice at the national level. The mandate is to foster awareness of the needs of the Inuit women and to encourage their participation in all matters, as well as in national and international concerns in the areas of health, social, cultural, environmental, and economic public affairs. Working in partnership with Canada's public and private sectors, Pauktuutit delivers realistic and concrete projects and initiatives that bring measurable change within the remote Inuit communities.