MARY SIMON'S VISION

The newly elected president of the ITK tells us her plans to improve conditions for Inuit, her view of the M ackenzie Gas P ipeline Project, a nd how she keeps going (even when it gets to u gh)

T: Could you tell us about your experience at the ICC Conference?

MS: The ICC conference is a time when Inuit from all over the circumpolar region (even Russia) come together. This only happens once every four years; we discussed a great number of common issues. The declaration, and the decisions made at the conference are important. Sometimes people find it very expensive to get together, but it’s worth it. It provides an international voice for Inuit, and it shows the heritage and culture of Inuit as one people, even if we live in different countries. I’ve never missed an ICC conference. Each one’s very different, but they are all exciting and enriching.

T: In terms of what we need to accomplish as Inuit, what are the priorities ITK and ICC have?

MS: There’s a lot of overlap in the issues prioritized by the ICC (international oraganization) and the ITK (national). For the ICC, it ranges from environmental concerns such as contaminants, climate changes, and development in the arctic; the economy, and employment for people at the community level. These are always big priorities for ICC, as are topics such as culture and the way of life; hunting, fishing and gathering, the spiritual aspects of living off the land and what that means to our people.

We also had a youth conference, where resolutions were made. The issue of young people needing jobs was raised. Often jobs are not available in the communities. Most of the time the solution lies in education. We need to create more educational and training opportunities, and to improve service conditions in our communities. There are communities where we don’t have doctors. In some communities, there aren’t enough counselors, and those working are under a lot of pressure. So we need to not just improve physical wellness, but also mental wellness. We need to look at this in a holistic way, there are a lot of linkages between mental and physical health.

T: What are some successes of the ITK, and what is in the way for more to be accomplished?

MS: At ITK, we work with the regions and provide the national voice for Inuit. For instance, we’ve been working very hard to get more money into health services. Our work is based on what the regions tell us their needs are. There’s been a very strong emphasis on physical health, but we need to balance that with the need for resources for mental health. So we’ve helped the regions work with the federal government to get the funding needed.

One of ITK's achievements is the settlement of land claims across the arctic. It all started with ITC (ITK’s former name), we used to get together to address the concerns regions had about their claims. The Inuvialuit Final Agreement is an example. The regions took the initiative and we supported them.

Another example the Canadian Constitution’s recognition of us as peoples with aboriginal and inherent rights. I was involved at that time as one of the negotiators. There’s also been work in areas like housing and education. It’s really an ongoing process, and sometimes it takes a long time.

Now we’re working on getting the new government to agree to the commitments made last November for aboriginal people, so that money can start going into housing and education. Some money has been announced but it’s still not enough for the specific areas.

T: Are you in favor of the proposed pipeline plans for the Mackenzie Delta? How can we strengthen ourselves so as to be able to deal better with the social and environmental impacts?

MS: When you look at development, it’s important to look at its different impacts and work from it. Not all development is bad, but you have to involve the people that are going to be affected by it. ITK is starting to be more and more supportive of it, that’s what more and more young people want. They may have an education and they want to have work.

A very balanced approach to development, such as the proposed pipeline can be a very positive thing as long as planning is done; plans about training, about the number of jobs available for the people who live there, about infrastructure to improve community life, and about how self-determination of the people can be improved.

In the Inuvialuit region, you have a land claims agreement, you have a corporation, the IRC; and you have a lot of institutions in place to negotiate on behalf of the Inuvialuit. When Berger held his enquiry, the people said ‘no’ because there were no land claims agreements. Now your leaders feel ready to take on the kind of responsibility that is needed, it can be used to strengthen your economy, as well as to deal with the social and environmental impacts. You have the tools and means to make your own assessment, and as long as the industry and the government don’t take over the situation…From what I’ve heard, your leaders are very involved in helping the Inuvialuit…

T: What is the significance of the government’s announcement to increase their military presence in the Arctic?

MS: The Canadian government has said they will beef up the military in the North, in terms of increasing icebreakers, building a port in the arctic, and increasing resources for the rangers. As Canadians, we have to support the security of the country. It’s our homeland and Inuit have helped Canada assert its sovereignty with our presence in the Arctic. The bottom line is, there will be more opportunities for Inuit in the North in terms of jobs. If the Northwest Passage becomes ice-free there will be a lot more shipping taking place, we want to be informed and consulted a lot more over these activities in the arctic.

T: You also said, “We have to keep playing our game…to make the same case over and over again until they finally get it”. How do you keep your vision and hope, how do you recommend youth prevent themselves from being overwhelmed?

MS: In my teens and early twenties, I really tried to define my priorities. What do I believe in, and how much do I need to do to get change? One of my early realizations is if you want to see change in your surroundings, you have to do it yourself. A lot of people depend on others to do it, but the best way to address the concerns is to get involved.

At first I worked at the Hudson Bay, then the CBC. Later on I began getting into the politics of my region in Nunavik. It was a slow process, but you learn from your work, gain experience, keep going and when you get to my age, you have all this experience behind you (laughs). I know there isn’t a lot of support behind every youth sometimes, I was very lucky to have a family that raised me to believe I’ve to become involved to make change in the Inuit world.

As adults we have to be role models. We have to learn how important it is to maintain our culture and our identity. I emphasized that I will be working very closely with the regions, because I have to base my work as president on the priorities that are being expressed by the regions. It’s really a lifetime of work when we get involved. I’ve my ups and downs too (laughs). I got a bit discouraged when the Charlottetown Accord fell apart in the 80s, but I picked myself up and kept going. I’m optimistic and when you have a good team, it helps to keep the hope going.