Canada’s national Inuit organization supports findings of UN aboriginal envoy
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), Canada’s national Inuit organization says it hopes the report of the UN Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People will help make a difference for Inuit.
“We felt the issue with housing was the biggest item to bring forward, especially with the UN rapporteur, so people understand that housing or the lack of it, contributes to a lot of the social problems which Inuit face today,” said Terry Audla, president of ITK.
James Anaya spent nine days in Canada meeting with aboriginal groups. Anaya spoke about his findings at a news conference Tuesday, focusing on education and urging an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women, but he also mentioned the importance of housing.
“As was stressed to me throughout my visit, it will be difficult to improve educational outcomes without address housing conditions in which many aboriginal people live,” he said. “Young people described to me the difficulty they have studying in small homes.”
Audla says he hopes Ottawa takes the UN’s report seriously.
That report will be completed by the end of the year.
Related Links:
UN aboriginal envoy says Canada is facing a ‘crisis’, Susana Mas, CBC News
