New Federal Funding to Strengthen Nunatsiavut's Capacity to Address Climate Change Impacts

NAIN, NL, Feb. 19, 2018 /CNW/ - In the spirit of reconciliation, the Government of Canada is committed to supporting and partnering with Indigenous and northern communities, territorial, provincial and Indigenous governments and other interested parties, as they take action on climate change.

Today, Yvonne Jones, Member of Parliament for Labrador and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, announced an investment of $977,975 to help increase the Nunatsiavut government capacity to respond to climate change challenges in the region and to implement their climate change adaptation priorities.

This funding provided through the Climate Change Preparedness in the North program aims at supporting a Climate Change Community Liaison position within the Nunatsiavut Government until 2021 and at implementing climate change adaptation actions related to youth engagement into adaptation initiatives, capacity building through knowledge exchange, infrastructure assessments and food security.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is working with the people of Nunatsiavut to build on their traditional knowledge and find new and innovative approaches to advance climate change resilience in their communities. These projects will improve Nunatsiavut's autonomy and capacity to achieve these goals while renewing the Inuit-Crown relationship on the basis of recognition of rights, respect and partnership."

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, M.D., P.C., M.P.
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs

Quick Facts

• Today's investment supports four climate change adaptation projects:
  
  The Going Off, Growing Strong ? This youth outreach program provides opportunities for at-risk youth to engage in community- and land-based activities related to food security such as managing a community freezer. The overarching goals of the program are to: (1) enhance resilience and wellness; (2) build social connections for the youth; and (3) transmit traditional knowledge, skills, and values to participating youth.
  
  Knowledge Exchange Hide Workshop ? This knowledge exchange projects aims at bringing First Nation representatives from the Northwest Territories to Nunatsiavut to build capacity and provide the necessary skills to Labrador Inuit related to moose. In exchange, Labrador Inuit will share their expertise on the harvesting, processing and use of moose and ringed seals. This exchange will expand areas of knowledge for the traditional harvesting and processing of moose in Nunatsiavut, a source of food that is becoming more and more important in the region due to climate change.
  
  Infrastructure Assessments ? This project will allow the assessment of the impact of climate change on the roof and foundation of the Nunatsiavut Government's Department of Health and Social Development Building in Hopedale and to perform geo-technical assessment of potential site for a food centre, while looking at potential climate change impacts.
  
  Initial Engagement on a Food Security Strategy for Nunatsiavut ? The Nunatsiavut Food Security Strategy will be created in concert with the National Inuit Food Security Strategy. This project will support Nunatsiavut Government community engagement initial activities related to the development of the strategy and to bring together, at a later time, Inuit Community Government, Nunatsiavut Government, Provincial Department and other stakeholders together around the development of the strategy.
  
  
• Building on $21.8 million invested over five years through budget 2016, budget 2017 provided an additional $25.4 million over five years, starting in 2017-18 to support climate change adaptation projects and initiatives in Canada's three northern territories, along with Nunavik and Nunatsiavut.
  
  
• Funding is delivered through the Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program (CCPN), which is part of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Energy and Climate Change, Canada's national plan to address climate change issues.
  
  
• The program uses a collaborative approach that responds to local and regional priorities identified in partnership with Indigenous and northern communities, territorial and regional governments, and other federal departments

Associated Links

• Find out how INAC takes action on climate change, and protects the environment.
• Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program
• The Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change

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SOURCE Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada