During the meeting, the Prime Minister and Committee members reflected on the important progress made this past year. These accomplishments include:

• The release of the co-developed Inuit Nunangat Housing Strategy, which will help improve housing conditions across Inuit regions of Canada, and develop Inuit-led housing solutions that reflect Inuit lifestyles, traditions, and culture.
• The endorsement of the Inuit Tuberculosis Elimination Framework – and joint commitment to eradicate tuberculosis among Inuit by 2030.
• The co-development of the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework, which will help ensure Inuit children and young people can access the care and education they need to succeed.

Over the last year, the Government of Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami have also taken important steps toward reconciliation, including:

• the Government of Canada’s apology to Ahiarmiut Inuit for their forced relocation;
• the Prime Minister’s apology on behalf of the government for its management of the tuberculosis epidemic from the 1940s to the 1960s; and
• the launch of the Nanilavut Initiative to help Inuit find lost loved ones.

In addition, the Committee established its first work plan focused on the environment and climate change, and furthered its efforts to protect the ocean, including signing the Pikialasorsuaq Joint Leaders Statement. Through this statement, the Government of Canada and Inuit leaders are committing to work in partnership together, and with the governments of Denmark and Greenland, to protect Pikialasorsuaq – an open-water area surrounded by ice in northern Baffin Bay, between Nunavut and Greenland.

The Committee also began work to establish new areas of focus for its third year, including continuing to address infrastructure gaps in Inuit Nunangat.