Mr. Speaker,
I rise today to announce that the Nunavut Agreement Implementation Contract renewal has finally been approved.
The Contract is between Nunavut Tunngavik, Government of Nunavut and Government of Canada and will cover the period of April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2034.
This is the first renewal of the Nunavut Agreement Implementation Contract since 1993. Mr. Speaker, this ratification signals an injection of $1.5B in Nunavut. $588M of these funds will be allocated to the Government of Nunavut.
These funds will enable the full implementation of the Nunavut Agreement – and realization of the Inuit vision for our territory.
Mr. Speaker, because of this Agreement the annual funding to the Government of Nunavut for Article 23 related activities is increasing 10-fold, from $4.5M to $48M. That’s $481M over the next 10 years.
Just under $250 million of this funding is to be allocated specifically towards Inuit pre-employment training related activities, which was determined to be the primary barrier to Inuit employment.
Mr. Speaker, for core activities, the annual implementation funding to the Government of Nunavut is almost doubling, from $5.5M to $10.7M annually. This gives our Government the ability to increase capacity and carry out Pre-Employment Training Programs and Inuit Employment Plans.
There will also be increased implementation funding to the Nunavut Arctic College to support programming, aimed at providing Inuit with the necessary skills for government employment.
Mr. Speaker, because of this agreement, Nunavut’s Institutes of Public Government: the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, the Nunavut Water Board, Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal, Nunavut Planning Commission and Nunavut Impact Review Board will see significant funding increases.
The funding for these institutions will almost double, from $35M annually to $62.6M annually. This will provide an opportunity for these entities to increase capacity, take up a broader role in regulating wildlife harvesting in the communities, and expedite project reviews.
This increase in resources will result in greater certainty for investors, and more opportunities for Nunavut to become a preferred partner in future projects.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Government of Nunavut’s Chief Negotiator and team for their efforts in achieving this historic milestone for our territory. Many thanks to Guy d’Argencourt, Letia Obed and Adrienne Silk for your efforts.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.