(Iqaluit) As he falls in the polls, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is no longer the frontrunner. Far from Ottawa, he spent his last day in Nunavut trailing a different type of pack, that is to say a pack of sled dogs.
Mr. Trudeau traveled to Iqaluit to mark the signing of a historic agreement to transfer powers to the territorial government over land, freshwater and resource management.
He ended the trip by boarding a sled led by a pack of huskies, accompanied by Nunavut Premier P. J. Akeeagok and Aluki Kotierkm, head of a territorial organization that defends Inuit rights.
His youngest child, Hadrien, aged nine, joined the prime minister. Mr. Trudeau said he invited his son to discover the unique character of the North, adding that his father, former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, did the same for him.
PHOTO NATALIE MAERZLUFT, REUTERS
He ended the trip by boarding a sled led by a pack of huskies, accompanied by his son, Nunavut Premier P. J. Akeeagok, and Aluki Kotierkm, head of a land-based rights organization. of the Inuit.
“It’s incredible to be back here,” said Mr. Trudeau before meeting Mr. Akeeagok at the territory’s Legislative Assembly on Friday morning.
“I was thinking about [comment] my father brought me here 50 years ago, and over the last 50 years I have seen… a tremendous transformation. »
Prime Minister Trudeau rarely talks about his late father in public, but he did so no less than three times during his trip to Iqaluit.
Justin Trudeau acknowledged the impact of those trips on his life, telling a crowd of community members gathered for a feast Thursday evening that they “helped shape his love for Canada.”
Mr. Trudeau traveled to Nunavut earlier the same day to sign the final agreement which provides for Ottawa to transfer powers over all public lands and waters to the territorial government, as part of a long and winding process known officially as “Nunavut Devolution.”
PHOTO DUSTIN PATAR, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier of Nunavut, PJ Akeeagok
The devolution of land management responsibilities has been underway since 2008, when the territorial government agreed to a negotiating protocol with the Conservative government of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
After years of negotiations, the territory reached a tentative agreement with the federal government in 2019, which became Thursday’s final agreement.
Prime Minister Akeeagok believes the agreement brings the Territory closer to its dream of self-determination and places future decision-making regarding its natural resources, including any future mineral development, now entirely in the hands of the Territory – and those of the Inuit who live there.
The prime minister and others also hope the deal will create new jobs in the youngest of Canada’s three territories, created only in 1999, and generate additional revenue for its economy.
The parties agreed to formally complete the transfer process over the next three years, completing it by April 2027, and that Ottawa will send millions to help lead the transfer.
A series of crises on the territory
MM. Trudeau and Akeeagok were expected to discuss the deal’s next steps when they meet Friday in a territory facing a series of other challenges and crises.
These include a severe housing shortage that has led to years of overcrowding and a rising cost of living compounded by inflation. There are also problems with alcohol and drug abuse and the fact that the water supply is currently insufficient to cope with the growing population in the capital.
Although Mr. Trudeau said Thursday that his visit was not about political speeches, he did not miss the opportunity to hit back at his main political rival, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, during a conference of press. He accused Mr. Poilievre of wanting to take the country backwards.
But the general tone of the official visit was one of celebration and highlighting the opportunities that lie ahead for the future of the territory, MM said. Trudeau and Akeeagok.
That was evident Friday as the two men shared laughs on the back of a sled.
They took turns running alongside each other as a pack of dogs led the group across the icy landscape. As the wind blew strong, a parhelia, also called “false suns” shone in the sky. This is the appearance of two replicas of the sun which are on either side of it horizontally.
To cap off Mr. Trudeau’s visit on Friday, Mr. Akeeagok showed him an igloo that a group of Inuit men were building at the entrance to a territorial park.
He told the prime minister that the way the structure is built – block by block – highlights the importance of each element and the importance of having a solid foundation.
This is a lesson that applies to the new final agreement. Mr. Trudeau was invited inside the igloo to participate in packing a final block, which he helped cut.
“Everything is beautiful,” commented the Prime Minister as he headed inside. We will be able to work a little. »