Federal and territorial leaders gathered August 1 in Iqaluit to celebrate a conservation deal that will see millions in community investments SA国际影视传媒� including Inuit training and employment to the tune of $55 million and roughly $190 million in infrastructure dollars SA国际影视传媒� for the northern Baffin region.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Premier Joe Savikataaq, Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) president P.J. Akeeagok, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk, and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed for a morning ceremony in Iqaluit, which then culminated with a community feast in Arctic Bay.

SA国际影视传媒淭his project is for the people. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 for the people of Nunavut SA国际影视传媒�  The promise of infrastructure and long-term support in the territory, anywhere in the territory, is welcome and appreciated, but so much more so in the High Arctic. They are left out more so from the economics of Canada than other parts of Nunavut. This is a very positive step,SA国际影视传媒� said Savikataaq.

Funding will be directed toward small-craft harbours and a training centre.

When Conservative leader Andrew Scheer visited Iqaluit in June, he said he would honour Liberal commitments should his party win the October federal election.

As the premier, and others, noted, decades of work went into the development of the protected areas known as Tallurutiup Imanga and Tuvaijuittuq SA国际影视传媒� together totalling roughly 427,000 square kilometres. These areas also serve the country by bringing its marine protected areas to almost 14 per cent, surpassing the Liberal governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 goal to protect 10 per cent of the countrySA国际影视传媒檚 marine and coastal areas by 2020.

Trudeau stated these are initiatives to help combat climate change.

But, as Savikataaq explicitly stated, there is much yet to be done to bring Nunavummiut up to par with fellow Canadians.

SA国际影视传媒淭he people who go to Arctic Bay will see how people really are. I encourage any federal representative, go to the store in Arctic Bay and look at the price of food. Go there. The cost of living is horrendous up here,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Savikataaq then said the economic benefits of the new conservation deal would benefit the smaller High Arctic communities.

Akeeagok said he was humbled to be present on this day to represent generations of Inuit.

SA国际影视传媒淚 stand proud because I stand with visionary leaders, like John Amagoalik, who is here with us today,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Akeeagok also mentioned others who could not be present. It is thanks to their bold action, he said, that Tallurutiup Imanga and Tuvaijuittuq will be protected on Inuit terms.

SA国际影视传媒淭he work to protect our waters began in the 1960s and 1970s. TodaySA国际影视传媒檚 announcement is a culmination of decades of work to realize a collective dream,SA国际影视传媒� said Akeeagok.

SA国际影视传媒淚nuit dreamed of a day when these waters would be protected. They imagined a day when Inuit would be true partners with the Government of Canada, working shoulder to shoulder to build the foundation of a new Arctic in the spirit of reconciliation.SA国际影视传媒�

Akeeagok noted that permanent protection of Arctic waters comes hand-in-hand with sustainable investments.

Obed and Kotierk also spoke of the new relationship between the federal government and Inuit under the Trudeau government, a relationship Trudeau himself referenced as being different from the Conservative regime under Stephen Harper.

SA国际影视传媒淪ince the 1950s, Inuit have been safeguarding Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic,SA国际影视传媒� said Akeeagok. SA国际影视传媒淔amilies like mine were forcefully relocated to communities such as Grise Fiord, treated like human flagpoles. Meanwhile, in Ottawa politicians worked to build Canada from coast-to-coast, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, connecting the nation through the railway and the Trans-Canada Highway.

SA国际影视传媒淐anadaSA国际影视传媒檚 third coast was forgotten and our people left behind. TodaySA国际影视传媒檚 investment is a step towards addressing the infrastructure inequalities between CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 North and south.SA国际影视传媒�