Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes. In many of the Public Health Agency and Health Canada first nations and Inuit health branch programs, there are very specific terms and conditions around the types of services that can be provided and who provides those services.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thanks. We say that suicide is “normalized” in our communities. We say it that way because, as I said in my opening statement, everyone is affected. Everyone, from a very young age, understands very graphic details about it, how it happens and how a person is affected. The life courses of people are altered.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In many ways the communication with all Inuit and with all Canadians about why suicide presents itself the way it does and what we all need to do to prevent suicide is one of the key parts of this initiative. As I said earlier, we don't have that unification yet. I believe that we need to have that unification in order to all push in the right direction to prevent suicide.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  First and foremost, I would like a change in the way government respects Inuit in how it articulates this issue. There are questions every day in the media and there are statements made on a very regular basis about suicide prevention and how it will happen for indigenous Canadians.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The renewed Inuit-to-crown partnership—that's the term we as Inuit have used—starts with a respect for Inuit land claim agreements and the Inuit governance structures that have been created under land claim agreements. In our four regions, we have different governance models, but they are all based on these comprehensive land claim agreements with the crown.

Agriculture committee  Nakurmiik. It's an honour to address you here as a national Inuit leader on this very important topic of food policy for Canada. As Inuit, we often are seen as very exotic, whether it's where we live in Inuit Nunangat, the Canadian Arctic, or the foods that we eat: beluga, narwhal, bowhead whale, Arctic char.

Agriculture committee  I think it starts with the renewed relationship and the Inuit-crown partnership that the Prime Minister and the Inuit signed in February. The work that flows through that with the Inuit-crown partnership committee is a place where we create a shared work plan. In areas that are of common concern, whether they're issues related to an Inuit Nunangat policy space or whether they're things related to housing, infrastructure, or food insecurity, working together is the first step.

Agriculture committee  Shipping is something that anyone who lives in Inuit Nunangat knows the ins and outs of: how to shop online, what not to ship, and what to ship. Amazon Prime and others before it have offered free shipping in certain circumstances in certain locations, but it's a challenge for sustainability.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Qujannamiik. Thank you so much, members of the committee and my colleagues from the Government of Nunavut. We welcome the opportunity to make remarks here today. I want to start by saying that land claims affect each and every Inuit across Inuit Nunangat, across our country. We grew up with these ideas of our organizations negotiating with the federal government and with provinces and territories about our rights and about our future.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In very, very general terms, the challenge is that when provisions in the land claim agreement are put to a test and they perhaps are put into action, it seems as though there are more restrictive interpretations on the federal government side and more expansive interpretations on the indigenous proponents' side.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We are a long way away from achieving the type of Inuit-specific workforce that we had all imagined would be ushered in by the land claim era. We do have a new level of pride about our identity, about our rights, and about who we are as indigenous peoples within Canada or the world.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Well, first is an Inuit Nunangat fiscal policy space. Time and time again for Inuit, indigenous budgets, indigenous sections of budgets, or comprehensive allocations for all Canadians don't make it to Inuit Nunangat. There are a number of reasons for this that can be closed by creating a specific Inuit Nunangat policy space.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Having something on paper versus believing it: I think that is the main consideration on this point.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The challenges of renewing a relationship start with not necessarily even knowing what relationship you are in. This is the case with Inuit. Sometimes the well-meaning rhetoric of reconciliation or a renewed relationship extends to the understanding that this government might have of indigenous policy or indigenous legislation or rights, not the full comprehensive scope.