Federal government apologizes for 'profound harm' of Dundas Harbour relocations in Nunavut
Relocations in 1930s and '40s were early examples of government-directed moves of Inuit
The federal government has offered a long-awaited apology to Inuit families affected by the Dundas Harbour relocations in Nunavut nearly a century ago.
Gary Anandasangaree, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, delivered the official apology at a ceremony in Arctic Bay, Nunavut, on Thursday afternoon.
"We recognize and acknowledge the profound harm done to your families, your communities and your way of life, for taking you from your homes and families, for the hardships you endured and the displacement and ruptures of kinships," Anandasangaree said before a crowd gathered in the local community centre.
"We offer our sincerest apology. We are sorry. We are sorry. Mamianaq."
Among those gathered to hear the apology were descendants of some of the relocatees who have advocated for years for an official apology and recognition of the impact the forced moves had on their families and communities.
The Dundas Harbour relocations were early examples of government-directed moves of Inuit.
In 1934, according to the Qikiqtani Truth Commission, a ship carried 52 Inuit and 109 dogs from several Baffin Island communities — Kinngait, Pangnirtung and Pond Inlet — to Dundas Harbour, an abandoned RCMP post on Devon Island. A Hudson Bay Company clerk also went to operate a trading post there.
A 2013 report from the Qikiqtani Truth Commission says the government's motives for the relocation were "complex."
"Reopening Dundas Harbour made a sovereignty statement at little or no expense to Canada, and also brought Inuit to an unpopulated area from more southerly locations that were considered to be overhunted," the report reads.
The move proved to be disastrous for the relocatees, as they faced harsh weather conditions and limited resources in the area that was unfamiliar to them. After two years, the Dundas Harbour trading post was abandoned, and some Inuit were taken back to Pangnirtung.
Others would be moved again, several more times over the following years — to Arctic Bay, Fort Ross and Spence Bay — despite having been promised that they would be returned to their home communities.
Anandasangaree acknowledged that the relocations, while considered "voluntary" at the time, were not in fact voluntary at all. He said the federal government "took advantage of its dominant position over Inuit living in the Arctic and moved them to further its geopolitical goals without due regard to the desires of the relocatees."
"We understand better than ever that the power imbalance between the colonial government and its officials meant that participation in the relocation was not voluntary, and Inuit were not provided with accurate information to make informed decisions for themselves."
Lucy Qavavauq, a descendant who's with the Dundas Harbour Relocation Society which had been advocating for the official apology, said it was "something that has been coming a very long time."
Qavavauq said that while she welcomed the official apology, she wishes it "would have happened sooner."
"It would have been great, ideal, for the elders that actually experienced it to be able to witness that apology," she said.
In a statement on Thursday, Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok called the apology "an important step towards healing and reconciliation."