Joanna Awa's Contact Details

Joanna Awa's Company Details

Since World War II, profound economic and cultural changes initiated by the Canadian government without consultation have impacted the lives of Inuit. The consequences are still felt today. In 2007, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association independently established and financed a Truth Commission to create an accurate history of decisions and events that affected Inuit living in the Baffin Region and to document the impacts on Inuit life. This broader truth and reconciliation process seeks to promote healing for those who suffered from historic wrongs and to heal relations between Inuit and governments. This is an unprecedented opportunity to uncover all important facts and acknowledge how our shared past has shaped the present and will continue to influence the future of Inuit. Since its beginning, the QTC has gathered and obtained an authoritative collection of historical documentation and interviewed hundreds of witnesses during public hearings to uncover the truth about the period of 1950 to 1975, a pivotal time of transition in the Baffin Region. Many government decisions led to extremely destructive events for Inuit. A short list includes: inhumane forced relocations to settlements; the deaths of Inuit sled dogs that reduced Inuit ability to hunt; the removal of Inuit children from families for extended periods of time; and the separation of families due to the lack of medical services in the North. The work of the QTC provides all of us—Inuit and Canadians alike— with a foundation of authoritative, culturally balanced historical knowledge that we can rely on to reconcile past mistakes. Ultimately, QTC hopes that its findings and recommendations empower Inuit to create and own a more promising future. Acknowledgment of the pain Inuit suffered because of misguided government decisions is an important part of the process needed to heal individual wounds, bridge misunderstandings and inspire forgiveness within families and between cultures.