Statement: President stands with ITK in condemning false claims of Inuit identity by NCC
Press Release
November 10, 2023
As the President of Nunatsiavut, and on behalf of Beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement, I fully endorse the open letter from ITK President Obed that exposes the fraudulent and harmful actions of the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC).
NCC has no legitimacy or credibility as an Inuit organization, and its attempts to claim Inuit rights and status are an insult to the true Inuit of Canada.
NCC has a history of changing its identity to suit its political agenda. The settler group was formerly known as the Labrador Metis Association and later the Labrador Metis Nation, and its members, including its president, Todd Russell, identified as being Métis until 2010. The Métis National Council of Canada did not recognize them as being Métis, and we do not recognize them as being Inuit. NCC is not affiliated with any of the four Inuit Treaty Organizations that collectively represent all Inuit in Canada.
NCC is exploiting the ignorance and goodwill of many Canadians who are unaware of the distinctiveness and diversity of Indigenous peoples in our country. The group is seeking to access the lands, rights, and resources that rightfully belong to Labrador Inuit and the Innu Nation, and is also undermining the efforts of Inuit to preserve and promote our culture, language, and way of life. NCC is not only trying to steal from us, but also trying to erase who we are. We must not allow that to happen.
Inuit are united by our common ancestry, history, culture, and language. We have a strong sense of identity and kinship, and we know who we are and where we belong. We will not tolerate any attempts by NCC, or any other non-Indigenous group, to appropriate our identity. We join with ITK, and Canada’s true Inuit, in calling on all Canadians, the Government of Canada, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and other provincial and territorial governments to denounce and reject NCC and its false claims.
ILR5
