Inuit leader demands input on Arctic sovereignty

Fundamental rights cannot be ignored, says circumpolar council president

Last Updated: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 | 4:21 PM CT

CBC News

The Canadian president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council says he's worried Canadian and U.S. leaders are not consulting Inuit while making decisions about Arctic sovereignty.

Duane Smith's concerns arose this week when Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President George W. Bush met Monday to discuss Arctic issues, before attending the North American leaders summit in Montebello, Que.

"Inuit have lived on the land and seas of the Arctic for thousands of years and according to Canadian, American and international laws, we have fundamental rights that cannot be ignored," Smith said in a release Tuesday. "I am deeply concerned that Inuit were not invited to the summit and, more importantly, that closed-door discussions are being held without our input."

Smith said Bush and Harper could at least consult with Inuit from Canada and Alaska before and during the summit.

During their talks in Quebec, Harper drew Bush's attention to comments made last weekend by former U.S. ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, who said it makes sense to recognize Canadian sovereignty over Arctic waters.

Harper also drew Bush's attention to recent Canadian activities in the North, such as the planned construction of a deep-sea port in the former Nanisivik mine site, Nunavut, as well as the purchase of new Arctic patrol vessels.

But a White House official said while the meeting left Bush with a better understanding of Canadian concerns, Harper's remarks did not change the traditional U.S. view: that Canada owns the Arctic islands but not the vast and potentially resource-rich waters that surround them.

"We continue to believe that the Northwest Passage is an international waterway," said State Department official Robert Fisk. "There is an international navigational right through the Northwest Passage."

Smith, who is also vice-chairman of the pan-Arctic Inuit Circumpolar Council, said Harper "doesn't seem to know that working together with us could be very beneficial to him and all the goals of Canadians."