HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L. — The Nunatsiavut Government has applied for intervenor status in the court battle between the Innu Nation and the attorney general for Canada over the federal government moving forward on the self-determination claim of the Nunatukavut Community Council.
The federal government announced in September 2019 it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Nunatukavut and would be negotiating with them on such things as land claims, education, and health benefits.
The Innu Nation launched the court action shortly after in October, citing overlapping land claims and lack of consultation with them on some of the main concerns they have with the negotiations between the feds and Nunatukavut. They’re asking for the MOU to be quashed by the federal courts.
The Nunatsiavut Government has the same concerns.
Tyler Edmunds, First Minister of Nunatsiavut, said they also weren’t consulted during the Nunatukavut process, which is ongoing, despite the fact that the Nunatukavut land claim overlaps significantly with their already established land claim area.
“We have a land claims agreement many have fought tirelessly for,” he told SaltWire. “We’ve always used this land and we’ve fought tooth and nail to ensure that we have the rights that come with that.”
Edmunds said the application is to make sure they are protecting their land claims agreement, which he said is very specific on the duty of the government to consult with them on anything that impacts the Labrador Inuit.
“The reason we have a land claims agreement is that we can provide input on our interests and our resources,” he said. “For them not to reach out to us during this process is disturbing and counter to the messaging around self-determination and allowing us to be a self-government.”
Innu Nation Grand Chief Gregory Rich said they aren’t surprised Nunatsiavut is raising concerns about the MOU and the impact on their rights.
The Innu Nation has been negotiating their land claim with the Government of Canada for decades and says that the process now being used, which is a different one than they are working under, isn’t fair.
“Canada didn’t consult with Innu Nation and Canada didn’t even follow their own rules, they used a different process with (Nunatukavut Community Council), one that is outside the established land claims process, and with the knowledge that this MOU will have a negative impact on Innu Nation,” Rich told SaltWire in an emailed statement.
A ruling has not been made yet on whether Nunatsiavut will be allowed to be an intervenor in the case and the next scheduled court date is Aug. 5.
SaltWire contacted Nunatukavut for an interview but a reply was not received as of our deadline.
Evan Careen is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Labrador for the SaltWire Network
