Nakurmiik. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's good to see everyone here in person.
We are pleased to offer our views on Bill C-29 and the creation of a national council on reconciliation.
The work of the truth and reconciliation commission, the national inquiry on murdered and missing indigenous women and girls and many other initiatives have been foundational to identifying and describing the widespread trauma inflicted upon indigenous peoples during the colonial era and its connection to the current situation of indigenous peoples.
While Inuit Nunangat, our homeland, comprises over 40% of Canada's land mass and 72% of Canada's coastline, it is remote and often removed from the consideration of policy-makers, government officials and most Canadians. We appreciate the broad scope of the act and provisions designed to address reconciliation measures.
In some cases, Inuit have shared experiences with other indigenous peoples, yet in many cases, the impacts of colonization have affected Inuit in a distinct fashion. We have worked with the Government of Canada for a distinctions-based approach to reconciliation for justice but also for the work moving forward with the Government of Canada. Some examples of this—and many of these initiatives have flowed through the Inuit-Crown partnership committee—are things such as ensuring Inuit inclusion for those who are excluded in the Indian residential schools settlement agreement, further and greater federal recognition of and actions with respect to the Qikiqtani truth commission, securing recognition and an apology for the Ahiarmiut relocation in central Nunavut, and completing long-standing work on the Nanilavut initiative for families to identify the graves of loved ones who had been taken south for treatment in sanatoriums for tuberculosis. If they did pass away, their families and loved ones weren't notified and were not told the place where they had been buried.
A challenge with many pan-indigenous exercises is that the specific impacts of colonization of Inuit and the specific means of moving forward could be lost. We note that the proposed body is mainly focused on reporting and awareness raising. It would not be in a position to provide meaningful redress for the ongoing impacts of colonization. This is the reason ITK has proposed an indigenous peoples human rights tribunal through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the implementation of that act to ensure that government accountability is clearly catalogued for recourse and remedy for all those situations in which Inuit human rights have not been upheld or have been violated.
This particular piece of legislation aims to do something completely different, and therefore there are many different pieces that are needed. Tribunals, boards, or bodies need to be created during this time to ensure that we implement not only the calls to action from the TRC and the calls for justice for the MMIWG inquiry but also implement the legislation on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
For these reasons, ITK often advocates the inclusion of Inuit representatives within and on federal bodies that have an impact on Inuit rights, and, further, that Inuit should be able to determine Inuit representation.
We do not have specific amendments for you today. We are still in the process of understanding this legislation and talking it through with our board of directors, but the principles raised by National Chief Archibald are very similar to the ones that I believe we would be making to ensure that the council is composed of representatives of first nations, Inuit and Métis and that these appointment processes will be very different under this proposed legislation because it is the creation of a not-for-profit society versus a governmental agency.
I look forward to further conversations with you all on this particular bill in the time that has been allotted.