Background Content

Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation

Qikiqtani Truth Commission: Final Report: Achieving Saimaqatigiingniq

April 1, 2014

Qikiqtani Truth Commission Final Report: Achieving Saimaqatigiingniq – April, 2014:

The Federal Government has never formally responded to the recommendations published in the Qikiqtani Truth Commission Final Report: Achieving Saimaqatigiingniq

The QTC was established by the QIA to create a more accurate and balanced history of the decisions and events that affected Inuit living in the Qikiqtani region in the decades following 1950, and to document the impacts on Inuit life. Some of the changes imposed on Inuit in these years were:

  • relocations from ilagiit nunagivaktangat to permanent settlements;
  • the deaths of qimmiit, which reduced their ability to hunt and support their families;
  • the removal of Inuit children from families for extended periods of time; and
  • the tragic separation of families due to the lack of medical services in the North.

The QTC’s mandate specifically excluded the High Arctic relocations and residential schools issues. The relocations were examined by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the schools are the subject of the ongoing Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

In addition to the historical component of its mandate, the Commission was charged to begin a broader truth and reconciliation process that will promote healing for those who suffered historic wrongs, and heal relations between Inuit and governments by providing an opportunity for acknowledgement and forgiveness. Qikiqtani Inuit are seeking saimaqatigiingniq, which means a new relationship “when past opponents get back together, meet in the middle, and are at peace.”

Notes:

  1. For the QTC reports, the English term “camp” has been dropped in favour of the Inuktitut term ilagiit nunagivaktangat (plural: nunagivaktangit), which means “a place used regularly or seasonally by Inuit for hunting, harvesting, and/or gathering.” It also includes special places, such as burial sites of loved ones, or sites with abundant game.
  2. For the QTC reports, the English term “Inuit sled dogs” has been dropped in favour of the Inuktitut term qimmiit.

The Final report presented 25 recommendation across the following themes:

  1. Acknowledging and Healing Past Wrongs (6)
  2. Strengthening Inuit Governance (8)
  3. Strengthening Inuit Culture (5)
  4. Creating Healthy Communities (6)

https://www.qtcommission.ca
https://www.qtcommission.ca/sites/default/files/public/thematic_reports/thematic_reports_english_final_report.pdf