ITK welcomes the federal government’s commitment to developing a framework that implements Inuit rights. Inuit welcome all actions to ensure our rights, as affirmed in Section 35 of the Constitution and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, are upheld and implemented. The right of Inuit to self-determination, most notably expressed through land claims agreements negotiated between Inuit and the Crown, are constitutionally protected frameworks that already recognize many Inuit rights. A significant challenge for Inuit is implementation of those recognized rights, consistent with the honour of the Crown.

In the implementation of today’s announcement (a Recognition and Implementation of Rights Framework), we expect that federal, provincial and territorial governments will work with Inuit through our representational organizations and democratic structures to ensure that our rights are upheld and our land claims agreements are fully implemented.