The following exchange between Eliyassie Sallualuk, then ITN representative, and René Lévesque, then Premier of Quebec, took place in 1983 at the Salon Rouge of the Quebec National Assembly, the same room where the Agreement in Principle (AIP) for the creation of the Nunavik Regional Government was signed on December 5, 2007.
On December 5, 2007 the government of Quebec, the government of Canada and Makivik Corporation signed the Agreement-in-Principle on the creation of the Nunavik Regional Government.
Photo: Bob Mesher, Makivik Corporation
To help understand the importance of this historic moment, Makivik negotiators Minnie Grey and Harry Tulugak answer a few of your questions.
Q: Now that the Agreement-in-Principle is signed, how do you feel about it and the progress made so far?
The negotiators: We are very pleased to finally get to this stage and feel relieved after so many years of discussing the notion of a Nunavik Government. We have made a big step, but the real work now begins. It will not be easy amalgamating the three organizations, but we are all bound and determined to do this work together.
It has been another busy and challenging year, both personally and professionally. With the recent signing of the Agreement-in-Principle, I feel a sense of accomplishment, but the work has only just begun. It will take a lot of hard work and dedication of many people in and outside of Nunavik to accomplish what we aspire to do, but I have no doubt that we are up for the task. I thank everyone for all their support.
I want to wish each and every one of you and yours a safe and healthy holiday season.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The culmination of years of debate in Nunavik has achieved a plateau where the view is Absolutely excellent! This is in relation to the December 5th signing of the AIP in Quebec city.
I cannot hide my enthusiasm as Nunavik approaches yet another Christmas season which is full of promise.
Québec, December 5, 2007 – The government of Québec, the government of Canada and Makivik Corporation have just taken an unprecedented step by signing the 
Agreement-in-Principle on the creation of the Nunavik Regional Government. Giving tangible form to Inuit aspirations, the Agreement-in-Principle draws the outlines of a new form of regional government adapted to the needs of Nunavik and, in so doing, marks a step towards the assumption of greater responsibility by Inuit communities. This agreement-in-principle builds on the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement.
Read the complete press release on the Makivik website
Photo: Bob Mesher, Makivik Corporation
The Agreement in Principle was initialled by the 3 party negotiators on August 9, 2007 which is another step in the approval process. The fact that the AIP is now initialled helps the leaders move forward to the signing of the ageement.
Following the Katimajiit Forum in Kuujjuaq, we can now say that the Agreement in Principle is well on its way to being formally signed by all parties in the very near future.
In his closing remarks at the Katimajiit Summit Pita Aatami, President of Makivik, presented the declaration prepared by the Nunavik Inuit elders during the Nunavik Elders/Leaders Retreat in Old Chimo. (August 15-16, 2007)
A group of Nunavik elders will join executives and key staff members from Nunavik organizations for an elders/leaders retreat August 15 to 16. The retreat will take place at Old Chimo during the Arpik Jam, and will give elders and leaders an opportunity to exchange on issues that are important to Inuit in Nunavik. During this exchange present and future leaders will benefit from the expertise and advice that elders have to offer. Discussions are expected to center around social issues, namely the recent reports on youth protection, and other subjects deemed important for exchange by elders and leaders.
Representatives from the three negotiating teams met on June 28, 2007 for a final review of the Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) in all three languages. This cumbersome, but necessary exercise was executed to be sure that all three languages corresponded with each other. All changes and amendments made during the last couple of years of negotiations were verified, and “Regional” was incorporated throughout the text.
We receive a variety of email from people living in many different places. This week we received the following question from a university professor in Oregon.
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www.nunavikgovernment.ca
On this interactive website, you can express your opinions. Your comments are welcomed. Simply click on the "comments" link below a message and type away!
Here, you will find the most up to date information (news articles). There are also sections providing historical background, documents about the negotiation, photos, video clips and a glossary of important words.
The Nunavik negotiating team
