Statement made on 30 March 2010 by Senator William Rompkey (retired)
Hon. Bill Rompkey:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Yesterday, Minister Cannon hosted a meeting in Quebec of the five nations that ring the Arctic Ocean in regard to the future of the Arctic. Not all nations on the Arctic Council were included. Most importantly, there was no Aboriginal representation at the meeting. It seems that Minister Cannon lost a great opportunity to say to the world that because the Inuit, who are Canadians, have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years, this is their territory. The foreign minister from Norway informs me that when he is at such meetings, he has someone from the Sami community next to him at the meetings.
Why were the Inuit, whose homeland was being discussed, and whose future will be more affected than anybody else's future, not invited to the meeting yesterday?
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