Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Members. Our hunters and trappers find themselves in a life and death struggle for the protection of their way of life with the extreme elements of the animal rights movement.
But hardship is not new to my people. We have experienced new diseases that our bodies could not fight. When game was scarce, we starved. With the coming of industrial society our families were ripped apart and our children sent away to residential schools. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and other new social problems now cripple many of our communities today. In a very short time, especially in the last 30 years, the basic values of the Inuit way of life were completely turned upside down and a whole new set of rules, still foreign to us, were put in place by those who came to our lands. As a result of this imposed system, we find that those in positions of power, such as judges, lawyers, doctors, nurses, educators and bureaucrats at the top positions, are not of our people. Therefore, we find ourselves governed by others, using their methods of government.
One example of how the law in Canada dealt with native people is the fact that until 1960 no aboriginal person or native of mixed blood was allowed to testify in court in British Columbia.
In 1960, when I was a child, only 30 years ago, the law was revised to allow native people to testify on their own behalf. However, even the revision said that native people were "uncivilized, destitute of knowledge of God, they had no clear belief in religion and they knew nothing of a future state of rewards and punishments." No aboriginal person in Canada could legally vote until the year 1960.
This gross misunderstanding of our cultures is changing, but only because, I believe, Mr. Speaker, native people have shown strong conviction in their own beliefs and an amazing ability to adapt to new ways of life and survive.
We possessed, and still possess today, an incredibly rich system of knowledge that guided our thoughts and actions, as individuals and as a people, a system that enabled us not only to survive but to thrive in a part of the world that is considered the harshest inhabited by human beings. But this is our homeland which we love.
Now we are told that our homeland does not belong to us. They tell us that we must negotiate if we want to have a say in how our land is managed and protected. The Inuit have always viewed themselves as the protectors of the land and its resources. This was a responsibility shared by all Inuit. Now we are told that in order to protect our land we must own it and obtain title to it from others. That same society promotes the rights and interests of the individual above that of the community. This is a concept that cuts cross the heart of traditional Inuit values and culture because while we have always respected the freedom of the individual, the welfare of all the people was the guiding principle. We needed to work together. That is how we have survived. We need to work together today.
In spite of terrible hardships, we have survived. We are rebuilding our communities; we are fighting to protect our languages; and we continue to practise the traditions given to us by our ancestors, which have guided my people for thousands of years.
It is time for my people to regroup and come together to plan for the survival of our homeland and our people.
It is my personal view that in order for us to achieve a consensus on a common agenda for our future, we must draw on our strengths of the past. We must set aside our individual needs and seek out solutions that are of greatest benefit to the whole community. The need to work together for a common purpose is greater now than it has ever been.
The agenda for the proposed summit includes the creation of Nunavut, a discussion on the boundary plebiscite, a review of our land claim negotiations and a discussion on various constitutional matters. Most importantly, we have to discuss ways in which we can help each other. Our people and our leaders are faced with tremendous stress today, and expectations, and we need to reach out to one another and offer our encouragement and support, as is our way.
We recognize that our people are facing many crucial decisions, and we want our voices to be united and our vision to be clear. It is important that the direction we choose is supported by our communities and follows in the footsteps of our ancestors, who have walked through this life with purpose and confidence. The principles that we identify together will be a guide for us in governing ourselves and to determine our destiny.
It gives me great pride to inform the Members of this Assembly that our leadership, including our elders, our youth, our women, will be represented at the proposed summit. This most important Inuit summit will help us to redefine our purpose and reach agreement on our priorities.
We must carry on the tradition of Qudliq, the symbol of the continuous burning light that used to warm our homes and spirits. The fire has been burning out. It is time for us to rekindle it, to make it strong again, so that we may find our strength and our ways once more.
Mr. Speaker, we know that the present and the future hold many problems and obstacles, but this knowledge will only serve to strengthen our resolve to overcome these difficult times. The trail ahead may be rough and obscure, but we continue on, knowing that our people have pulled through very difficult times before and their passing has marked the path. Our will to survive is as strong as it ever was, and I am confident that by coming together we will ensure that our future as Inuit will be made better for our children of tomorrow.
I have great confidence that this summit will achieve what I have outlined, and I am asking each one of you for your moral support. Qujannamiik.
---Applause