Ottawa will not recognize ‘southern Inuit’ as holding Indigenous rights

The federal government has halted the process to recognize a controversial Labrador group which self-describes as “southern Inuit” as holding Indigenous rights.

The Nunatukavut Community Council (NCC) represents roughly 6,000 people in central and southern Labrador, and has been fighting for years for land, hunting and fishing rights despite not being recognized by other Indigenous organizations and communities.

The question of which communities Ottawa recognizes as Indigenous has implications not only for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, but also affects billions of dollars worth of federal funding and access to other government programs.

The NCC style themselves as “southern Inuit,” and have referred to their organization as Métis in the past. Under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, the group had entered into the process to gain treaty rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act.

A spokesperson for the department of Crown and Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) confirmed Wednesday the government has halted that process. The department said their rejection of NCC’s claim to section 35 rights included “updated submissions, internal historical and legal analysis, expert reviews” and discussions with the group.

“Canada has determined that the evidence submitted does not satisfy the court-established tests for Indigenous rights and title,” wrote Jennifer Cooper, a spokesperson with CIRNAC, in statement to Global News.

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“This decision specifically concerns the assessment of section 35 rights. It does not affect Nunatukavut’s ability to apply for federal programs, services and partnerships that do not depend on section 35 recognition.

Rebecca Alty, the minister responsible for CIRNAC, was travelling Wednesday and unavailable to comment, her office said. NCC President Todd Russell, a former Liberal MP who has long campaigned for his group’s recognition, was also unavailable to comment, his office said.

Inuit groups and the Innu Nation — which comprises the Innu of Labrador — have long pressured the federal government not to acknowledge the NCC’s claims, suggesting they’re a settler group posing as Indigenous.

In a statement Wednesday, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), a national group representing Inuit communities, called the NCC a “fraudulent collective” that “undermines” and diverts funding away from Inuit people and communities.

“We urge the federal government to proactively prevent Inuit identity fraud by enacting a recognition policy that is consistent with the definition of Inuit provided in the federal Inuit Nunangat Policy,” the ITK statement read, referring to an umbrella policy that governs federal policies toward Inuit communities.

“This would help ensure that federal funds, programs and supports intended for Inuit or Indigenous peoples broadly are not misappropriated by NCC or other fraudulent collectives in the future.”

The federal government’s decision was also welcomed by the Nunatsiavut Government, a group representing Inuit peoples living in Labrador.

Johannes Lampe, the group’s president, the federal government’s concluding talks with the NCC brought “long-needed clarity” to the discussion.

“Inuit identity is not something that can be self-declared — it is affirmed by Inuit, grounded in our culture and history. Concluding this table (discussion) is an important step toward ensuring our rights, as Inuit, are protected, respected and upheld,” Lampe said in a statement.

A years-long investigation by Global News has revealed significant problems with how the federal government identifies Indigenous communities and recognizes rights, particularly in the federal Indigenous Procurement Program.

The program was designed to set aside tens of billions worth of federal government contracts for businesses majority-owned and -operated by First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

But the Global News investigation found Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) failed to properly vet businesses to ensure they were actually Indigenous-owned.

An independent federal procurement watchdog’s report earlier this year found ISC repeatedly ignored safeguards meant to ensure the multi-billion dollar annual program benefited legitimate Indigenous businesses.