Trudeau announces $270-million investment toward Inuit-led conservation efforts

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $270-million pledge to support Inuit-led conservation efforts and create jobs in the Qikiqtani region, an Inuit territory that is part of Nunavut.

The agreement is part of a promise made in 2022 for the Government of Canada to invest $800 million towards four Indigenous-led conservation initiatives.

Trudeau was joined by Olayuk Akesuk, the President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), in Montreal on Thursday to announce the signing of the deal – dubbed the SINAA Project Finance for Permanence Agreement.

In Inuktitut,”sinaa” means “the floe edge” where the open sea meets the frozen sea.

The agreement is a conservation finance model between the Government of Canada, the QIA, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Aajuraq Conservation Fund Society that intends to advance reconciliation by investing in Inuit-led marine and land conservation projects in Canada’s Arctic.

Key components of the agreement include:

• A conservation plan that proposes several new protected areas and enhanced protections for existing areas;
• Support for the Inuit stewardship (Nauttiqsuqtiit) program enabling Inuit partners to have eyes and eats on the water, land and ice;
• Support for Nauttiqsuqtiit Conservation Centres so that Inuit stewards have proper equipment and office space; and
• Support for Inuit-led regional governance so that Inuit can implement an integrated and regional vision for conservation that includes local and regional perspectives along with Inuit knowledge.

Contributions to the SINAA Agreement include $200 million from the Government of Canada, alongside an additional $70 million from philanthropic donors.

“The agreement signed today sets the foundations for Inuit-led and governed conservation efforts to protect our culture, lands, waters, and wildlife,” Akesuk said in a statement.

“Today is a proud day, and I thank the Government of Canada, donors, and the philanthropic community for seeing our vision and working with us to make it a reality.”

Fisheries and Oceans Canada have signed an additional agreement with the QIA, called the Qikiqtani Fisheries Agreement.

This agreement provides funding over the next ten years to support acquiring access to offshore commercial fisheries, vessels and gear, and training to participate in offshore commercial fishing.

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