1. We are all responsible for making sure that Human Rights are affirmed in our ways of thinking and in our actions.

The much taughted «great canadian divide» is in reality not made up of one but of many divides!

We divide this country into west and east, french and english, rural and urban, native and non-native, north and south. And that is only the ’tip of the iceberg’, these divisions don’t take into account ’the divsions with the divisions, that are felt in very real ways in the hearts and minds of all. The point being, we can choose to remain walled in by our differences or we can decide to make room for all of them!

For us in the South, the Inuit are often not more than a new’s item, a soap stone carving or at best, distant First Nations we’re told we should know more about. Who are we for the Inuit?

In Canada, our cultural reference point for diversity starts off with us, the people to the south. What would happen if we reversed our points of reference and considered that for the Inuit; they are not different from us, rather we are different from them?

For over thirty years negotiations with the First Nations, are based on socio-political and economic models that necesitate ’meeting our criteria’. Not only has this produced a new class of First Nations public servants that are required to ’speak white’; it has also created a ’coloniser’s respect complex’ (obsequiousness), amounting to little more than hiding behind the ’Them vs.Us’ safety net.

Meet the: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatam

«Our organization is over 30 years “young”…( )… Now, the Inuit of Canada are in the post land-claim era. We continue to struggle to represent the rights of the Inuit at the national level, and continue working to improve living conditions for Inuit economically and socially.»

«…The protection and promotion of Inuit culture and language is a key priority area for ITK…( )…the current Aboriginal Language Initiative…(was)… negotiated with the federal government to enable the Inuit regions to review proposals and make decisions on how program funding would be allocated.

In regards to wildlife…( a) new Species at Risk Act…was drafted…in close cooperation with Inuit regional representatives and legal resource people…( in order)…to ensure the Act considered Inuit interests and priorities…( )…including the Sustainable Communities Initiative, the International Unions for the Conservation of Nature, gun control and the fur issue..». – www.itk.ca

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