Inuit leaders urge Ottawa to follow Greenland's infrastructure lead

Inuit leaders indorse from a recent trip up to kalaallit nunaat say there's a stark counterpoint betwixt the infrastructure in that Nordic country compared to Canada's North, and they're calling on the federal government to urgently fill the gap as part of its enhanced focus on Arctic security.

"They're way ahead of us," said Paul Irngaut, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), the group that represents Inuit in the territory.

"We're the last people that the government thinks about until now because of the political climate."

Irngaut was part of an Inuit delegation that travelled to Nuuk last week for the official opening of the Canadian Consulate in a show of solidarity against U.S. President Donald Trump's takeover threats. 

It wasn't Irngaut's first time in Greenland's capital.

The NTI president said he travelled there three years ago to visit the University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik) to see how Inuit in Canada can create their own university. 

"What we want to see here in Nunavut is a building like that," Irngaut said.

The university is just one of many examples of advancements in Greenland that Inuit leaders say is needed in Canada, as the federal government prepares to spend tens of billions of dollars in the coming years on defence and Arctic security.

All communities in the Inuit homeland of Canada, known as Inuit Nunangat, are powered by diesel except Inukjuak, Que., which is in the process of transitioning to hydro. The majority of communities in Greenland already use hydro power. 

There's one deepwater port in Inuit Nunangat, located in Iqaluit. It faces more challenges with seasonal ice compared to the deepwater port in Nuuk, which has the ability to move cargo in a capacity that none in the Canadian Arctic have.

Besides infrastructure, the education system in Greenland uses Kalaallisut, the language of Greenlandic Inuit, as the primary language of instruction in post-secondary education. 

In contrast, Inuktitut, the language of Inuit Nunangat, is not the primary language of instruction for most Inuit students in their homeland.

"Those are all things that we wish for here in Canada," said Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national advocacy organization for Inuit in Canada.

"We do hope at this time when there's more of a bright light and a focus on the Arctic that the Canadian government not think of this in terms of militarization and building only the things necessary to support fighter jets and warships, but the functioning and stability and sustainability of our communities as well."

When it comes to building a university in Inuit Nunangat, the Nunavut hamlet of Arviat was chosen by ITK earlier this week to host the main campus.

Inuit leaders are still waiting for the federal government to commit its share of funding for the project and introduce legislation to allow the university to operate across multiple jurisdictions, including Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, northern Quebec and Labrador.

"It will open a lot of doors because I know it's hard for a lot of Inuit to move from their homes thousands of kilometres away just to go to school," said Tyson Prusky, 19, who is originally from Arviat.

Prusky knows what that's like. He and his 21-year-old sister Chelsea are attending the Nunavut Sivuniksavut College in Ottawa. 

"It was such a huge jump," his sister said. "I hated that three-hour flight from [Iqaluit] to Ottawa. Just being able to take that step out of my own comfort zone took so much strength."

She and her brother said they plan to apply to the new Inuit Nunangat University once it opens in 2030 — either as students or staff.

"I never thought it would become possible," she said. "That opportunity finally arising for the next generations means a lot."

Canada's only Arctic-region university is in Yukon, which is not located in Inuit Nunangat. 

Irngaut said federal investment in an Inuit-led university, housing and other critical needs would go a long way to assert Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic.

"It shows that Canada cares about our Inuit," Irngaut said. "That they care about our youth and they support higher learning for Inuit."

Senior reporter

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