Being Resourceful have showed promise for improvement. “We have benefited from many programs, including health and disease prevention projects funded by Health Canada,” says Nellie. Therefore, steps should continue to be taken between government programs, and northern communities, to ensure that individuals are receiving as efficient, advanced, and thorough medical care as other Canadians: something that has proved difficult due to the North’s less populated and widely dispersed areas. “Having more programs and services available closer to home is important” especially for “individuals who are directly affected by particular health issues,” urges Nellie. This development and increase in healthcare resources and highly-skilled practitioners can enhance both northern quality of life—through access to adequate care—and economic development— through the training and employment of Aboriginals within the medical field.
In the North, lay some great economic possibilities for new developments involving natural resources and land. One political advocacy group trying to protect resources, while also promoting safe and positive development, is the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). The national Inuit body, who recently celebrated its 40th anniversary as an organization, serves to defend and enforce negotiated, comprehensive land claim agreements that are constitutionally protected for regional Inuit entities across the Canadian Arctic—including Nunatsiavut Government, Makivik Corporation, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC). Nellie Cournoyea has the honour of having been elected as
Unfortunately individuals’ frustrations with quality of life, whether it be poor housing conditions or lack of sufficient healthcare, can stem to anger—which can quickly lend itself to violence. Nellie cautions that these acts often do not have any impact on fostering progress on the true issues: “In my view, violence comes about as a result of feelings of disassociation and helplessness, and a lack of involvement in finding solutions to problems that exist.” Instead, she advises that individuals use their efforts to work together and get involved in seeking out economic prospects, “I believe that positive change can come about in an inclusive society where economic opportunities are fostered”; but in order to affect improvement, the specific needs of the communities and their unique areas of economic potential must first be analyzed: “Governments should work with the communities to look at their current conditions and… financial capacity to determine what economic opportunities exist,” states Nellie talking to students at a Career Fair Nellie. These factors can be in Ulukhaktok in March 2011. extremely varied dependent on the geographical location; for example she explains that “given the high cost of doing business in the North, the Federal Government should support and actively promote economic opportunities that need an extra boost to get off the ground”: catering to the complex demands of life in the Arctic. “Some communities and groups have a lot of potential economic activities, while others, particularly in very remote areas, may have few options and need more assistance,” she explains. Once those contributory factors are addressed, groups and the Government alike should work constructively in order to produce efficient/effective solutions. For example, with relation to the recent Ottawa Summit, Nellie feels “it would be a good thing if Canada works with First Nations to address the problems identified and…ensure that First Nations do receive the maximum benefit from the natural resources of their traditional lands,”: a notion with promising economic potential to all Northerners and Inuvialuit. hope for the future.ca
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