Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated is prepared to endorse four "nation-building projects" so long as the federal government provides enough benefits to Inuit and allows the land claims organization to act as co-developer.
The Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link with Manitoba, an Iqaluit hydro project, a Qikiqtarjuaq deep-sea port and the Grays Bay road and port are the projects that Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) listed as having its conditional approval in an Aug. 27 news release.
However, NTI made clear that it wants to co-develop the projects with the federal government.
鈥淚nuit have been calling for these major projects for decades," NTI President Jeremey Tunraluk stated.
These major initiatives had previously been raised with the Government of Canada in March, during the Arctic Sovereignty and Security Summit, the press release indicates, and NTI is moving the initiatives through the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC).
Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to fast-track major projects across the country after the One Canadian Economy Act was passed in late June. Carney has been receiving pitches from premiers since then.
The One Canadian Economy Act gives the federal government new powers to accelerate infrastructure development in the country. The Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program was boosted to $10 billion from $5 billion under the bill.
After the legislation came into effect, Carney held a closed-door meeting with Indigenous leaders on the new act, where he heard complaints from some leaders that consultation was happening too late in the process.
On Aug. 27, NTI said it was committed to ensuring the major projects under the act would prioritize Inuit participation in decision-making.
"NTI will work to ensure that each step of implementation in Nunavut is designed and carried out in partnership with Inuit and consistent with the Nunavut Agreement," the press release reads.
