Iqaluit, Nunavut – September 14, 2021 –QIA urges MLAs to vote against Bill-55.

“The bill in it’s current form imposes on Nunavut Inuit an incorrect interpretation of the Nunavut Agreement,” says QIA President Olayuk Akesuk. “The Government of Nunavut has failed to listen to the concerns of QIA and other Inuit representative organizations shared with the GN over several years, and I urge MLAs to consider their vote carefully.”

Bill-55 could result in millions of dollars of debt for Inuit organizations if mining companies fail to meet their property tax obligations. The Bill will also harm the mining industry across the territory by imposing undue risk on Regional Inuit Organizations if they agree to mining on Inuit Owned Lands.

Inuit organizations will have no choice but to challenge the GN’s legislative overreach in the courts if Bill-55 becomes law in Nunavut.

Bill-55 is a lose-lose proposal for Inuit and Nunavut – Nunavut can do better.

For more information, please contact:

Will Hopkins,
Acting Director of Communications,
Qikiqtani Inuit Association
whopkins@qia.ca
867.975.8413/1.800.667.2742