Minister Aglukkaq to Give Keynote Address at Inuit Circumpolar Council General Assembly in Inuvik

Press Release –

July 20, 2014 – Ottawa, Ontario – Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, will attend the 12th Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) General Assembly in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. The Minister will deliver the keynote address on July 21, 2014, on the government’s commitment to the North and Canada’s Arctic Council chairmanship.

The ICC General Assembly will include a variety of sessions on issues that relate to Canada’s Arctic Council chairmanship themes, including sustainable communities and economic development.

At this year’s assembly, ICC Canada will assume the chairmanship of ICC for the next four years, taking over from Greenland. ICC is also one of the six indigenous Permanent Participant organizations of the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council is unique in that these organizations, representing Indigenous peoples of the North, contribute to the Council’s decisions alongside the eight Arctic states. During Canada’s Arctic Council chairmanship (2013 to 2015), ICC is co-leading initiatives on promoting mental wellness and Arctic indigenous languages.

Quick Facts

• The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum for Arctic cooperation and focuses primarily on issues related to sustainable development and environmental protection.
• The Arctic Council is unique in that the Permanent Participant organizations, representing Indigenous peoples of the North, contribute to the Council’s decisions alongside the eight Arctic states.
• ICC is one of the six indigenous Permanent Participant organizations of the Arctic Council, and ICC Canada will assume the chairmanship of ICC at the General Assembly.
• ICC represents approximately 150,000 Inuit from across the circumpolar region, including more than 50,000 Inuit who reside in Canada.

Quotes

“The ICC General Assembly provides a major opportunity to discuss common priorities and look back at our past, while establishing a vision for Inuit across the circumpolar region.

“I look forward to attending this important gathering in Inuvik with so many people who have contributed positively to Inuit history.”

– Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council

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Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
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