Quotes
“Without using media today to inform and consult Inuit better than before, Canada, Nunavut and Baffinland risk falling behind our time, stuck back in the 20th century […] Baffinland’s Mary River Project is one of the biggest, richest mining developments in in the world. With a development this size, with impacts this large, we have the opportunity and responsibility to create a new model for our information century. This Baffinland Model could demonstrate to other mining companies coming along soon, and to other countries in the same situation with the same problems, how Inuit and Baffinland use state-of-the-art media tools to meet 21st century standards of knowledgeable democratic participation by Inuit in our own spoken language. This information model could prove how resource development can be honorable and just; how it can be proposed, reviewed, approved, monitored and enforced using today’s top information technology.”
Extract from Zacharias Kunuk’s Formal Intervention to NIRB, English written submission June 8, 2012
http://www.isuma.tv/did/zacharias-kunuk-formal-intervention-to-nirb-written-submission-june-8-2012
“Yes Inuit have to be included now and until the future. Yes, media has to be present at the venue. And I’m very pleased that IsumaTV is the first media that is leading so that Inuit are informed. And the Inuit have to be part of what’s going on in Nunavut.
Okalik Eegeesiak, President of Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) from 2008- 2014
Extract from the film My Father’s Land (Ataatama Nunanga) 00:35:00
http://www.isuma.tv/myfathersland/film
“I’m a little bit confused about the human rights aspects assessment of it, where Canada the Canadian government ratifies into all these international standards and yet in Nunavut we lived in third world conditions. Is that what you are looking into? That Nunavut does not have the basic infrastructure to meet what we need now and then industry wants to be fast tracked. Is that what you’re looking into? Because that’s something conflicting message I heard. That for instance there the badwidth stuff that’s a government responsibility. Are you asking Baffinland to use the badwidth so that Inuit can communicate with their families or are you asking Baffinland to pay for the badwidth so that inuit can communicate with their families? That’s two different things. And like I said Canada the Canadian government signs on and ratifies into international standards that they’re not meeting up here and I just want clarification if that’s what you’re looking into or part of what you are looking into? And QIA’s role is to ensure that Inuit from Qikiqtani are consulted and participate in development so I look forward to working with you. I forgot the name of your firm but I look forward to working with you through QIA and with QIA to add to the process for Inuit not just for Baffinland but the whole of industry.”
Okalik Eegeesiak, President of Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) from 2008- 2014
Extract from My Father’s Land (Ataatama Nunanga) 00:36:11
http://www.isuma.tv/myfathersland/film
“We are suggesting that as the Mary River Project – and other mines and other developments, and also all of the money that can flow from that – that investing in internet bandwidth infrastructure can have benefits for first of all consultation between Inuit and the company for these projects or other ones. But there are other potential benefist for having better bandwidth that could be for employees or other things that we mentioned. We think it’s a good idea that it could be a useful tool to help realize the rights around consultation with Inuit and this would be an area we think would merit cooperation between different parties according to their different responsabilites and jurisdictions.”
Lloyd Lipsett – Human Rights international lawyer
Extract from the film My Father’s Land (Ataatama Nunanga) 00:41:10
http://www.isuma.tv/myfathersland/film
“[…] I’m not against you Mary River Project and government. I want to work with you. I don’t want you to hide anything from me. When people work behind the doors or take advantage of me… we always all seem to be in the part of only when it comes to good things. You seem to be seeing nothing but good things out of this project. I’m not upset, I wanted to clarify. I’m not pinpointing at anyone. Thank you for including me at this meeting. I’ll probably come back with some issues related to archeology and historical sites. There are numerous old archaeological sites over there it’s full of them, that land is very special where my mother was born.”
Louis Uttak – Inuit elder from Igloolik and member of the Mary River Project committee in Igloolik in 2012
Extract from the film My Father’s Land (Ataatama Nunanga) 01:09:07
http://www.isuma.tv/myfathersland/film
