NG Statement – Federal Court Decision – June 2024

Inuit across Canada, represented by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, including the Nunatsiavut Government, along with the Innu Nation and the Assembly of First Nations, stand united in stating that Nunatukavut Community Council (NCC) members are not Inuit and do not have S.35 Indigenous rights.

We are pleased that the court was very explicit in stating that the NCC’s section 35 status has not been established in law in this case or in previous court cases. In this regard, I actually think the court’s decision supports our position.

We call on the Government of Canada to cancel the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NCC immediately and to honour our treaty, acknowledging the true Indigenous people of this land. Failure to do so will continue to show disrespect for Inuit, our way of life, and our history.

The Nunatsiavut Government reaffirms that Nunatsiavut Inuit have been the original inhabitants of Labrador for millennia. Our heritage and presence on these lands, ice, and seas are undeniable and deeply-rooted.

The NCC, which until recently identified as a non-profit organization devoted to the Métis way of life, is now claiming Inuit identity. This shift undermines the extensive 30-year Land Claim negotiation process between the Labrador Inuit, the Government of Canada, and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, which culminated in the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement (LILCA) in 2005.

Accepting the NCC’s claim encroaches upon significant areas of the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area. We urge the Government of Canada to definitively reject the NCC’s claim once and for all.

 

Johannes Lampe

President – Nunatsiavut Assembly

Government of Nunatsiavut