Uqaqtittiji, Inuit such as Jesse Tungilik are brilliant. Jesse posted on his social media that an increased military presence in the Arctic will mean putting Inuit women at greater risk of sexual violence. He says that building a highway connecting Nunavut to the south will make human trafficking and the murdered and missing indigenous women problem worse and bring more hard drugs to vulnerable communities. He also says that increased marine traffic will mean more accidents and fuel spills.
He asks what measures will be put in place to mitigate these factors and whether these issues have been discussed at all by leadership. He wonders if anyone cares, or if these are the acceptable costs of business so a few can line their pockets.
Jesse and Inuit should keep using their voices. The world needs to hear them.