Inuit rights to the Arctic.

• Author: Watt, Senator Charlie

As I continue my work on the issue of Inuit rights to the Arctic, my guiding principles are that Inuit must be equal partners in decision-making in the Arctic, resource development must promote the health of Inuit communities, and the environment must be protected.

I am currently looking at what impact the melting ice has on our agreements with Canada and other nations. As the ice melts, the seabed resources are more accessible and therefore attractive to corporations and governments from around the world. Although many are debating the boundaries of the continental shelf, for me, the bigger issue is: who owns, governs and benefits from the Arctic seabed and its resources?

I have been thinking about the larger issues of sovereignty and Inuit control of the Inuit homeland for many decades, but have been actively working with international partners on this file for over five years. Prior to this, issues of Indigenous human rights were our priorities at home and on the international front.

Since the 1970s, Inuit have been working to advance our rights in Canada and to support Inuit across the north. We have worked with Indigenous peoples from other nations to help them achieve recognition from their own governments and from the international community.

The Inuit have strong land claim agreements in place. In my region of Northern Quebec we have the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA). This was signed in 1975 and is considered the first modern treaty in Canadian history. To date, there are four Inuit regions in Canada and all of these areas are coastal northern regions: Inuvialuit (in the Northwest Territories), Nunavut, Nunavik (northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador).

In addition to our land claim agreements, which confirm that Canada and Inuit will work together as partners in the north and that Canada will respect Inuit rights, we have additional protections in section 35 of the Constitution, and Canada has a duty to consult with Inuit on matters that have the potential to affect our rights.

The Arctic Ocean Ice is part of the Inuit Homeland

As Inuit we have always lived on the ice, and the ice is our winter "highway" across the tundra and from one shore to another. We have historic links across the Arctic from Greenland, to Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador), the northern part of Canada and Alaska and even across the Bering Strait to Russia and the Scandinavian countries. We continue to keep these relations through...