Quebec, Inuit to reopen self-government negotiations in new year

Self-government has been a dream for 55 years, says Makivik president
The Quebec government and the organization that officially represents Inuit in the province are reopening negotiations around self-government for the province’s far north.
Pita Aatami, president of the Makivik Corporation, which represents Quebec’s Inuit in their dealings with the federal and provincial governments, says self-government is something his people have been dreaming of for 55 years.
Several rounds of negotiations between Quebec and the Inuit have taken place since the 1990s, and most recently a proposed self-government agreement was rejected by Inuit voters in a 2011 referendum.
Quebec Premier François Legault says he understands the desire for more autonomy, adding that the negotiations will take place on a nation-to-nation basis.
The vast majority of Nunavik, the largely Inuit region of Quebec north of the 55th parallel, is in the territory of the Kativik Regional Government, which provides municipal-level services but is under the jurisdiction of the provincial government.
Aatami says the Inuit want to work in partnership with Quebec, while having control over things like mineral exploration on their territory.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Nunavik Inuit name negotiators for self-determination discussions, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: UN Committee blasts Finland over electorate ruling for Sami Parliament, Yle News
Norway: Injustices against Sámi, Kven peoples to be examined by commission in Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Inuit, Sami leading the way in Indigenous self-determination, study says, CBC news
United States: ‘We are caribou people’: First Nations leaders in Washington to push for ANWR protection, CBC News