Making the link of the words and work of "policy" to our everyday lives, can sometimes feel like a stretch. The real-world, real-time issues of food insecurity, unsafe or unavailable affordable housing, to struggles with education and employment, are the challenges that clients and families we serve, or even our own families.

The contrast between life and the work of "policy", is the connection between CSWs and Managers in organizations, to representative organizations or colleagues who dedicate their education, work in consulting with Inuit and negotiations with government, with the aim of improving the lives of Inuit.

Policy Development for Inuit

Policy development is the work that representative organizations and government bureaucrats advance on behalf of individuals, families and citizens.  It is what shows the gaps, the statistical variations, the trends, brings forward the community-driven consultation input and recommendations, and prioritizes  through a culturally-respectful lens for action and investments. Policy is what balances the needs of many people - Inuit at the community level, regional level and nationally against the competing interests of other Canadians and financial decision-making of governments. 

It is the work of negotiation: of leaders and vocal advocates, of researchers and engaged citizens, to address the inequities of the dominant groups versus minorities against the baseline of inherent rights alongside negotiated rights. This is what makes distinctions-based policy work and consultations with government or organizations unique from a pan-indigenous approach.  

Nowhere is the issue of policy and equity more challenging that in the historic relationship between indigenous peoples in Canada (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), based on highly complex legislation, laws, negotiated agreements of access to land, resources, etc., to federal transfers and priority setting by provincial/territorial governments and communities on investments to address social health indicators.  The Crown-Inuit relationship since the era of colonization, the upswing of negotiated rights and land claims, to the assertion of meaningful relations through "distinctions-based" consultation processes, has been a ongoing process.

As Canadian citizens and indigenous peoples, Inuit rights to consultation and engagement is guaranteed under Section 35 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and within the Inuit-specific negotiated rights that Inuit leaders from the 1970's to today in the work of policy and advocacy.  Policy work and negotiations on behalf of Inuit include advocating and securing the use of resources (land/sila, wildlife and natural resources) for economic and traditional cultural purposes. Negotiated rights include the Articles and activities within the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement (Nunavut Agreement) and Labrador Inuit Agreement (Nunatsiavut), Nunavik and Inuvialuit agreements that guarantees Inuit living in those homeland areas, the rights contained within the agreements. Other negotiated agreements would be between industry such as Inuit Impact Benefit Agreements (IIBAs), largely relating to the use and returns relating to natural resource projects like Mary River/Baffinland mine, Meadowbank mine/Egnico, etc., that impact specific Inuit communities in the project area.

Therefore, it is the work of key Inuit policy organizations such as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Qikiqtani Inuit Association and other representative organizations, to negotiate with other levels of government and industry to safeguard negotiated rights, while negotiating equitable policies and resources, to address Inuit societal health and economic matters.

Some Policy Consultation and Negotiation Challenges

Inuit are a smaller population per capita than First Nations, so when raising social health indicators, research priorities and funding for Inuit in urban or Northern centres, it is critical to remove Inuit from other tables in order to ensure equitable negotiations that address geographic reach, cost of delivering services, language and other access needs.  Inuit living in Canada's Arctic regions are working with extreme income differences compared to our Canadian counterparts.  The high cost of living in the North - almost two thirds more expensive than the South - is an automatic challenge when negotiating Inuit shares of program dollars or transfers, with government funders.  

Nowhere is this more important than in the equitable access to health and wellness resources. 

This is also a policy, research and negotiation issue for Inuit living in urban centres, where they are a distinct minority in population and subsumed by First Nations and Métis members in southern Canada.  Funding on a distinction-based model, and recognition of Inuit cultural differences for program design, delivery and access to services, is also needed.

With every elected party and leader, and social health indicators remain on the forefront for strategic advocacy, community-driven and Inuit representative organization-to-government negotiations for funding and a renewed relationship.