It was nine years ago that the first Sivummut Economic Development Conference was held in Rankin Inlet. We cannot wait another nine years before reviewing the progress made in implementing our
Strategy.
Times change and with them theories and approaches to development, and the values of the people the Strategy affects. New challenges can appear and new successes can present oppor-
tunities unimaginable ten years earlier. The international success of
Atanarjuatand the discovery of
diamond-bearing rock across the Territory are examples of new opportunities that have changed our perspective on how we can support economic growth in the future.
In order to ensure that our economic development strategy continues to reflect our vision and the new economic realities of the future, we will:
By 2008:
• Convene a Sivummut III
Economic Development Strategy Conference.
attract partners who will invest in our economy. This investment will come from the private sector, who will work with us to pursue opportunities in specific economic sectors, like tourism, mining and fishing. We also need investment from the public sector, to help us reach the thresholds, in terms of capital formation, that must be attained to support development and economic growth in Nunavut.
The preparation of detailed strategies and action plans should continue in the collaborative framework established in the SEDS Group. More can be achieved in economic development when we We need to focus on the funda-
mentals for economic development. This will be the key to the full participation of Nunavummiut in our economy in the next ten years.
We must build the foundations for the Nunavut economy: whether it is knowledge of the natural environment through Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and western science (natural capital), or education and training for our youth (human capital), or broadband networks in all our communities (physical capital), or the development of strong business organizations (social capital).
At the same time, we must also
It has been our purpose to provide a guide to the way forward for the development of the Nunavut economy. We have stressed the importance of maintaining the basic relationships that sustain us – to the land, to our families, and to our communities. We have
acknowledged the contribution our elders make to the economy, and have proposed ways to ensure this knowledge helps our youth to play productive roles now and in the future. We have emphasized the growing importance of small business, and the need to support its development in our
communities. We have called for more effective use of the tools for economic development at our disposal, and, in particular, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Finally, we have proposed actions to support the broad Territorial economic agenda – preparing specific sector strategies, improving our infrastructure, and developing Nunavut products for export.
When these issues are addressed in specific work plans, and are the focus of a network of economic
interest groups from government, Inuit organizations, non-
governmental organizations, and the private sector, we can expect progress.
An economic development strategy alone will not create employment and sustainable livelihoods, start new businesses, or build new infrastructure. Yet without a strategy, agreed by all economic interest groups, progress in these areas will be slow and
Nunavut’s development organi- zations come together, decide on common goals, and determine to work collaboratively, can we build the foundation we need for sustain- able economic growth in the future.
The SEDS Group has started this process, and in the Nunavut Economic Development Strategy, provided a framework and direction for joint action – for moving from words to work.
Conference Board of Canada
A Compendium of Economic Development Strategies
(September 2002)
Conference Board of Canada,
2002 Nunavut Economic Outlook
(September 2002)
Conference Board of Canada,
Nunavut Economic Outlook May 2001: An Examination of the Nunavut Economy
Blackstone Corporation, A Strategic Plan for Developing the Nunavut
Tourism Industry(May 2002)
Brian McDougall, Vision, Strategy and Reality in the Economic Development of Nunavut: Lessons from the European and Canadian Experience with Neo-Corporatist
Arrangements(November 2002)
Conference Board of Canada,
Export Development in Nunavut
Government of Nunavut, The First Annual Report of The Inuit
Qaujimajatuqanginnut (IQ) Task
Force, (August 2002)
Government of Nunavut, The Naujaat Challenge: Working Together. A framework for discussions about an economic
development strategy for Nunavut,
(April 2002)
Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., The Sivummut II Economic Development
Strategy Conference Report,
(April 2003)
Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.,
Annaumaniq, 3 volumes,
(May 2003).
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Tungavik
Federation of Nunavut, Agreement Between Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area and Her Majesty
the Queen in Right of Canada,
1993.
Mike Bell, In Search Of Common Ground: A Discussion Paper
(June 2002)
Nunavut Association of
Municipalities, Challenge: A New Vision for Northern Economic
Development(September 2002)
Nunavut Association of Municipalities, The Economic Impacts of Nunavut on the Rest of
Canada(April 2002)
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.,
Piliriaksaliuqatigiikniq – A Conference on the Economy
(June 2002)
Sivummut Economic Development Strategy Group, Investing in the Future of Nunavut: Towards an Economic Development Agreement