LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium

Iqaluit, Friday, May 29, 2009

Thank you, Mr. Saul, for such a warm welcome and your kind words of introduction.

It is a pleasure to find ourselves once again in this place that is so dear to our hearts.

As you know, this is not my first association with the LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium, which I had the pleasure of moderating in 2005, at your invitation, in the City of Québec.

Let me tell you that I truly appreciate the content and scope of this unsurpassed space for reflection, where engaged citizens debate the issues of our democratic life.

This is an emotional moment for us all, but particularly, I think, for John Ralston Saul and for my predecessor, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, whose tireless commitment to Canada’s North and Arctic I applaud here today.

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the creation of Nunavut, a new territory filled with Inuit names that represents two million square kilometres and 20 percent of Canada’s land mass.

This great adventure toward self-government, pursued to this day with hope and determination, was born of the desire to give the peoples of these ancestral lands the means to manage their own resources and to preserve their cultures, languages and knowledge.

And so, I believe that this 10^th anniversary is a vital chapter in the history of our country, and I wanted to celebrate it by embarking upon a second tour of several Nunavut communities since the beginning of my mandate.

In fact, this is the fifth time that I have crossed the 60^th parallel, and the day after tomorrow, we will be heading to Kuujjuaq, in Nunavik.

My family and I have just come from being hosted by the communities of Rankin Inlet, Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Resolute, Pond Inlet, and Clyde River.

And we are praying that the weather will allow us to be with the people of Pangnirtung as we had initially planned.

Everywhere we went, we met with women, men and youth who are the true wealth of these communities.

I want to salute the extraordinary warmth and generosity with which each community has greeted us during our journey.

It is truly incredible to experience the magic of Inuit hospitality, through which elders, youth, women and men alike open their arms, offering the best of themselves, to allow visitors to become an integral part of their community.

When the time comes to share a meal, it should come as no surprise that they share with you the heart.

You just need to know how to receive and appreciate it.

Let me tell you that in undertaking this northern visit, I wanted to enter into dialogue with the youth, who make up the vast majority of the population.

I wanted to show them that we are listening to their dreams and that we are confident in their potential.

I wanted to remind them, and all Canadians, that protecting our Northern and Arctic sovereignty involves and must be grounded in respect for the populations who live there and who first inhabited this continent.

Let us all remember that the most precious resource in the North is its people.

It is therefore imperative that northern youth have all of the tools at their disposal so that they can help their communities to thrive and contribute to national prosperity.

Our daughter, Marie-Éden, who now has many friends across the North, told me that the North is the “land of the children.”

In fact, we discovered a whole generation of children and youth in the North who aspire to become professionals in every imaginable field; wherever I went, however, they conveyed their desire for more support.

Through the self-confidence and courage they proudly displayed, they have encouraged us all to continue responding to their call for greater assistance in the affirmative.

They are the heirs of a history of great resilience, wisdom and ingenuity that remains crucial today.

At a time when the world is increasingly aware of climate change and its devastating effect on the environment, the Inuit people stand as a model of the sustainable utilization of natural resources.

As our lecturer and friend, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, reminded us at the 2008 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, “[m]ore than ever there is a sense of urgency that everyone should become more and more aware of what is happening to the Arctic and the significance of the Arctic to all of us in Southern Canada and to the rest of the world.”

I recently undertook a State visit to Norway and travelled over 400 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, to the city of Tromsø.

I was greatly impressed to find that Tromsø is home to a university offering a full range of programs, where Sami, Norwegian and foreign students share knowledge and experiences.

That remarkable institution is a powerful tool for human and economic development.

And it is also an inspiring model that can be emulated.

Let us unite our efforts, expertise and knowledge around this idea of a Canadian university in the North.

It was in Tromsø that I organized a stimulating discussion between Sami, Inuit and other Aboriginal leaders from Canada, including the Premier of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Floyd Roland.

I believe that this kind of openness to dialogue between and with northern peoples—an approach deeply embedded in the Inuit worldview—is vital.

It is in this spirit of sharing and solidarity that I envision my presence at this first LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium held in the North.

As John Ralston Saul so insightfully noted, drawing from the heritage of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit, it is a spirit based “on the idea of an inclusive circle that expands and gradually adapts as new people join us.”

And in that circle, which has expanded to include the entire world, I see, shining beneath the North Star, an inukshuk, that stone guide that watches over these endless stretches of land and points the way to the future.

Thank you. I look forward to hearing from our lecturer and to taking part in the discussion.