The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Board of Directors voted to allocate more than $88 million in distinctions-based federal environment and nature funding to Inuit during their meeting in Kuujjuaq September 9.
The new Inuit-specific environment funding will strengthen Inuit-led nature and conservation initiatives. This includes $51 million to Inuit Treaty Organizations for the Inuit Guardians program, a network of on-the-ground monitors introduced in 2018 that plays a critical role in exercising Inuit-led stewardship over land, water, and ice across Inuit Nunangat. Guardians examine ecological health, maintain cultural sites, protect sensitive areas and species and support the transmission of Inuit knowledge between Elders and youth.
The funding also includes about $33.3 million in Indigenous Partnerships for Nature funding to support Inuit-focused nature initiatives, and about $4 million to support the Inuit-Canada Nature Table, a joint Inuit-Canada advisory body to advance federal and Inuit leadership on shared nature priorities.