I was awarded the 2012 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council masters scholarship (Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship) to support my research on Québec-Inuit relations at McGill University. This research is a continuation of the work I did for the 2011 International Studies-Canadian Studies Task Force course I took at the University of Washington entitled, Arctic Governance. This program enabled me to reorient my research towards current Québécois political affairs. The knowledge I built and the resources I acquired through this Task Force provided me with the needed tools to start a career with the Québec Government.
Lisa (right) and Dominic (second to the right) with Saturviit’s Board of Directors in the Kativil Regional Government building in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik.
Through the Secrétariat aux Affaires Autochtones (SAA), I have been working closely on maintaining good relations between the Québec government and the Inuit of Nunavik. I recently had a chance to travel to Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, thanks to fellow Task Force student Lisa Koperqualuk. Mme Koperqualuk, now president of the Nunavik Women Association (Saturviit), invited me to the association’s Board of Directors meeting, held in the Kativik Regional Government’s building, as a SAA representent. This provided me with the opportunity to exchange with the board and present to its members various provincial programs and resources which are made available to organizations like Saturviit.
The Winter 2011 Task Force was entitled, “Melting Boundaries: Rethinking Arctic Governance.” Lisa’s chapter was enttitled, “Maqaittiit as a Profession” and Dominic’s chapter was entitled, “Québec and Nunavik: A Governance Model.” The Task Force was co-led by Nadine Fabbi, Canadian Studies, and Vincent Gallucci, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Julie Gourley, Senior Arctic Official, U.S. State Department, served as the expert evaluator. The Task Force will be offered again in Winter Quarter 2013 focused on Arctic Québec.
View Task Force 2011 Website
View Task Force 2011 Report
by Dominic Maltais, Task Force on Arctic Sovereignty Graduate, 2011