As I understand it, there were some representatives from the Government of Nunavut.
However, there were no representatives from the Government of the Northwest Territories. This was primarily due to a planning issue, but the Department of Fisheries and Oceans did not provide a hybrid option for participation: either people were there or they were not.
However, there should be more flexibility for people living in rural and remote communities to participate in these events. After all, sealing is not taking place in Montreal, Toronto or Ottawa, but in really remote communities.