Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
As a recipient of one of the June Callwood Aboriginal Law Fellowships, I have spent my summer working for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI). NTI is the organization that represents Inuit under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NCLA) and which negotiates with governments to ensure that obligations under the NLCA are implemented in a way that fosters Inuit economic, social and cultural well-being.
While the experience is about to go from invaluable to unbelievable when I head up to Iqaluit for the remainder of my fellowship, my time at NTI's Ottawa office over the last few months has been rewarding and eye-opening. I have been able to meet many talented and committed lawyers and work with them as they strategize about how best to use the legal tools available under Canadian law to promote and protect Inuit interests in areas such as hunting quotas, environmental research and language rights. I have also had a chance to see the interaction between law and advocacy by drafting a resolution for adoption by the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut which urges the federal government to implement the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples. While that resolution has not been adopted yet, it was rewarding to be part of the effort to place pressure on the federal government to respect that important declaration.
The bulk of my time has been spent researching the plausibility of an aboriginal right to public education in aboriginal languages. As recently as 2006 Thomas Berger cited the failure to use aboriginal languages as the leading factor behind the 25% high school graduation rate among young Inuit and the subsequent problems of unemployment and low participation in the Nunavut government. Retention rates in many other aboriginal communities are also far below national averages and could benefit from a right to funding to incorporate aboriginal languages in curriculum. My research began with scholarly literature regarding aboriginal law and s.35 case law but has expanded into case law regarding education and language rights and international law commitments and examples. It has also brought me into contact with a host of academics from a variety of institutions, and with practitioners as well.
In just a few days I will be able to meet the people NTI works so diligently to serve. I am beyond excited. I look forward to spending time in their communities and to finishing my report while also analyzing proposed education legislation for NTI.
