A Northern Moment: Nunavut fishing and sealing industries receive funding support

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to the fishing and sealing industries in Nunavut. The Government of Canada, through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), has invested over $3.2 million to support 6 fisheries and sealing projects in Nunavut. These projects focus on research, marketing and training and will help create new jobs and opportunities for Nunavummiut.

Transcript

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A Northern Moment
Investments for Nunavut's fishing and harvesting industry

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The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency is investing in 6 projects for Nunavut's fishing and harvesting industry.

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The Minister of Northern Affairs, Daniel Vandal, hosted a roundtable with territory and Inuit partners, together with industry stakeholders, to discuss the investments and what they mean for the future of Nunavut's fishing and harvesting industry.

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Minister of Northern Affairs Daniel Vandal met with:

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Minister of Northern Affairs Daniel Vandal met with:

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Hon. Daniel Vandal
Minister of Northern Affairs

Minister Vandal:
The Government of Canada through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, or CanNor, has recently invested over $3.2 million to support 6 fisheries projects in Nunavut. This investment is supporting the Nunavut Fisheries Association in their efforts to keep employees safe during COVID by providing PPE and ensuring other health and safety measures are in place.

CanNor's investments has also allowed them to continue working with you to support fisheries research throughout Nunavut. This includes supporting small scale in shore fisheries in Arviat, in Kinngait and Sanikiluaq along with a test fishery in Frobisher Bay.

Offshore, the funds supported your work to examine the potential of red fish in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.

Our funding isn't only about supporting the examination of potential fisheries, it's also about helping you do more with what you catch. That's why we are supporting a test for an omega-3 extraction process in ringed seals.

As we emerge from the pandemic we know it's important to continue to support businesses. That's why CanNor is supporting the Nunavut Fisheries Association's efforts to improve and expand market outreach in Europe and in Asia for the shrimp they catch.

We're also working with the Government of Nunavut to improve market access and awareness for sealing products. The result of this $3.2 million investment is the creation of dozens of new jobs with the potential to create many, many more.

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David Akeeagok
Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, Nunavut

David Akeeagok:
As the Minister responsible for the fisheries and sealing section of our government which advocates for more fisheries and more sealing this is a good step forward and I applaud the Federal Government for investing, especially CanNor which has been a steady funder for Nunavut and something that I have always appreciated for doing this.

It is vital that the fisheries section needs to grow and having roundtable with the very appropriate people around this table I'm excited to be a participant in this. Thank you very much.

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President Kotierk
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated

President Kotierk:

Good morning everyone, I am very pleased to be a part of this roundtable today. It's a bright and sunny day here in Iqaluit and this news of investments into our fisheries development I think is welcome, it just makes it a little bit brighter.

I know that when I was looking through the different 6investment areas some of the key words that came out were in terms of research, in terms of exploratory, determination, jobs, and I think when you look through that it reminds us how important it is that we spend some time developing the fisheries industry in Nunavut and it gives us hope about the potential job opportunities which I know is something that I continue to advocate for, Minister Vandal, and you know ultimately it's about giving Inuit choices.

The diversification of our economy will allow Inuit to choose to have a career in the fisheries industry and more opportunities to do that. Inuit have always been and continue to be innovative and resourceful and Inuit want to be able to contribute in a positive way to Canadian economy.

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President P.J. Akeeagok
Qikiqtani Inuit Association

President P.J. Akeeagok:
So, although the announcement is big news in terms of the $3.2 million that's being announced today, the scale and the true vision that is outlined in the Nunavut agreement is something we all continue to strive for as Inuit to diversify our economies and these investments that are being announced today truly provide an opportunity for us all to make strong foundational building blocks, but there is more in terms of the true vision that was outlined in the Nunavut agreement.

And along with the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik, we have really cleared a roadmap in terms of what is possible and what the expectations are.

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Jerry Ward
Qikiqtaaluk Corporation

Jerry Ward:
We have been a big supporter of CanNor and CanNor has been the best thing that's happened from the point of view of fisheries research and development in Nunavut.

If you look behind me this is a clear example of the prior funding made possible by CanNor and NICFI as well. This is the latest vessel Inuit owned and operated that will do nothing but in shore research in Nunavut, the vessel called Ludy Pudluk and she'll be sailing up into Nunavut in July and we hope that this is the first of many boats to carry out the research that is needed.

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Jesslene Jawanda
Qikiqtaaluk Corporation

Jesslene Jawanda:
One of QIA's listed goals and solutions to food insecurity talks about that every Inuk in the Qikiqtani region needs to have stable and long-term access to locally harvested country food.

So, it's because of this that we believe it is vital to have funding toward harvesting country food and have that funding increase. QC has partnered with local hunters and trappers' associations to purchase ring seal blubber. So, these ring seals would be harvested in Nunavut around the Qikiqtani region.

This blubber will be converted to oil and the omega-3s found in the oil would be used in health care products. The remainder of the meat as well as the pelts will stay in the community to increase food security and improve clothing and art opportunities for the pelts as well.

This project could provide a long term and economically viable market for ring seal blubber harvested in Nunavut while also supporting country food harvests.

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Doug Chiasson
World Wildlife Fund

Doug Chiasson:
Thanks for giving me a few minutes here to talk about the funding we are receiving here at WWF that we are very excited about to support the projects that we are working on with the Hunters and Trappers Associations in Kinngait and Sanikiluaq and also with the HTO in Arviat.

WWF, you know being Canada's largest international conservation organization, it may look a bit odd for us to be on a call about fisheries in Nunavut but you know we are committed to working towards a future where nature and people thrive and certainly no one understands the close connection between you know thriving people and thriving nature more than Nunavummiut.

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Zoya Martin
Director of Fisheries and Sealing, Government of Nunavut

Zoya Martin:
So, having funding like this gives us the opportunity to work with communities, to work with stakeholders, to offer them the programs, offer them the training and offer them the supports they need to develop their fisheries.

Minister Vandal:
I think that by making these investments today as a government we're in a position to help Nunavut towards a recovery from the very, very difficult year that we've all had. We're also contributing towards our commitment of creating 1 million jobs across Canada, restoring employment to previous levels, so I'm glad we're able to do this.

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