National Defence committee  Could I just jump in? I would go a bit beyond what Professor Coates is saying, in that sovereignty isn't just about who owns the land and where it is. As the second section of the sovereignty declaration in front of you says, there's an evolving nature of sovereignty in the Arct

National Defence committee  Although there are close to a million indigenous individuals and about 40 peoples in the Russian Arctic, there are only 2,000 Inuit, and they're in Chukotka. If you know your geography and the Bering Strait, that's where they are. There have been some advances, but it's--

National Defence committee  Yes. Canada should be proud; Canada, through CIDA and through the Inuit Circumpolar Council of Canada office, helped not only the Russian indigenous peoples during the process of moving from the Soviet era into the more modern era, but also helped Moscow's equivalent of Indian an

National Defence committee  I was referring to animal migration.

National Defence committee  Yes. I think my point was that Inuit, because of their traditional knowledge that has been verbally passed on from generation to generation, know that weather changes. Weather changed in the past. They know that animal migration patterns changed. Through their knowledge and throu

National Defence committee  I'll be brief, given the chair's bell. Who determines Canadian national interest in the north? Well, as the sovereignty declaration says, it's a partnership. By law, Canada has to listen, and by law, Inuit have to talk with the government. There's never been a hesitancy to do t

National Defence committee  I would add that there's a great opportunity for Canadians. The Arctic is so big right now, and the Canadian government could miss the boat on that. If the Canadian government, the Department of National Defence, sits down with the Inuit and asks them that question in a more appr

National Defence committee  One of the biggest decisions isn't about militarily protecting the Arctic. It is not about that. It is about potential environmental, social, and economic disaster in the Arctic. To avoid that, you have to work closely with the local communities. You have to protect the Arctic fr

National Defence committee  Is the question directed to me?

National Defence committee  The Inuit Circumpolar Council is not in agreement with defining the north in that way. It creates problems at the Arctic Council. It creates problems domestically when the Inuit of Labrador and the Inuit of Nunavik are left out. They live on tundra. They live on areas that are ve

National Defence committee  Yes, I could. Inuit are very eager to be part of the western scientific process. They're very eager to contribute their traditional knowledge, and they're also very eager to participate in what we often refer to as western science. I think the mechanisms are mostly process orien

National Defence committee  I'd almost echo everything Professor Coates has said. In fact, before he said “win-win” I had already written it down. It's a cliché, but there is a “win-win” in your first question. Proper implementation of land claims would be better for the Inuit and all Canadians. Right now

National Defence committee  You've asked some big questions. The future, I'm not too sure of, but I'm positive about it. But to get back to your earlier comments, to remind the members here, I think what you're getting at, for example, is that in Greenland they had what they called home rule in 1979. On

National Defence committee  The board members of the Inuit Circumpolar Council in Canada, for example, are the regional bodies. The Nunatsiavut president is on the ICC board, as are the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation's president, and so on. They give specific direction to th

National Defence committee  Right, but they were on the Canadian delegation; they were not really given a separate voice. They had to speak through Mr. Cannon.