Thank you, Mr. Chair. You did very well with the pronunciation on that, so congratulations.

Today, I'll be speaking to three areas that our organization has submitted as recommendations for consideration in the upcoming budget. They include Nauttiqsuqtiit conservation centres, the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit hydro project and the need for continued investment in a distinctions-based, Inuit-led fund for infrastructure in Nunavut.

Before I speak to the specific recommendations, I would like to briefly provide you with some background and context with hopes that it helps to better understand the submission that is before you.

Qikiqtani Inuit Association is a designated Inuit organization established under the Nunavut Agreement to represent Inuit in the Qikiqtani region of Nunavut. We represent Inuit in 13 communities that are situated in the easternmost portion of Nunavut. QIA advances the rights and benefits of Inuit through protecting and promoting social, political, economic and cultural interests, while safeguarding the land, waters and resources that sustain our communities.

Through QIA's leadership, Inuit completed the Qikiqtani Truth Commission, which was a broad inquiry documenting the harms and hardships faced by Inuit as a result of the implementation of colonial policies, which eventually resulted in formal recognition from the Government of Canada, along with a commitment to partner on the implementation of 25 recommendations.

QIA has a long-standing record of providing effective programming and services to Inuit in the region. These programs and services have been made possible through a variety of means, including a strong relationship with the Government of Canada over the past years.

As articulated in the pre-budget submission, Nauttiqsuqtiit conservation centres are an integral part of the Nauttiqsuqtiit program. Please allow me to share the context as to why these facilities are of such importance to Inuit and how these investments link directly to the creation of permanent jobs, for which employment funding is already secured across all 13 of our communities.

The basic premise is that people need a place to work. Everyone in this room has offices and associated infrastructure to support them to do their jobs. This is what we are seeking to achieve for Nauttiqsuqtiit, for our staff in every community, to work out of Nauttiqsuqtiit centres.

Just as importantly, the Nauttiqsuqtiit centres also provide a space for other organizations that want to provide community programs and services. There is such a shortage of available infrastructure that communities often end up missing out. Nauttiqsuqtiit is founded on Inuit stewardship and led by our communities. This program has created a great opportunity to advance Inuit vision to improve community well-being, economic prosperity and the health of their lands, waters and wildlife.

The program provides Inuit jobs as environmental stewards and harvesters. It also provides a foundation for mentorship, training and economic development for Inuit. Nauttiqsuqtiit carry out critical environmental and wildlife monitoring in and around the communities that they are employed in.

While on patrols, Nauttiqsuqtiit are able to carry out harvests, which results in country food distributions in the communities. This helps to address food security but also enables the strengthening and retention of Inuit traditional practices. They also provide workshops geared toward youth, where knowledge and skills are passed on to the younger generation.

One of QIA's most recent achievements with the federal government is the establishment of an Inuit-led conservation economy founded on the comanagement of Tallurutiup Imanga, an area created through the successful negotiation of an Inuit impact and benefit agreement with the Government of Canada in 2019.

Since this time, QIA has partnered with philanthropic organizations and the Government of Canada through a project called Qikiqtani project finance for permanence, or QPFP, with an express goal to ensure all 13 communities will participate in the conservation economy. QIA expects formal announcements associated with the QPFP will occur in December 2024.

While QIA has been extremely successful in acquiring funding for Nauttiqsuqtiit jobs and Nauttiqsuqtiit centres in nearly all of our communities, we are now focused upon addressing the remaining resources required to construct the final Nauttiqsuqtiit centres. Because infrastructure funding typically flows differently from funding for employment, QIA is actively taking parallel efforts to align resources toward our end goal. Once the final resources required for Nauttiqsuqtiit centres are secured, QIA will have aligned enough resources to execute upon a pathway that results in the creation of 120 long-term jobs for Inuit spread across the region, jobs that will provide country food for the community, take youth out on the land and actively monitor the environment.

To be clear, the funding requested for the Nauttiqsuqtiit centres in QIA's pre-budget submission will be used to secure the final three Nauttiqsuqtiit centres.

For the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit hydro project, it's an Inuit-led project that aims to identify opportunities to improve energy security while reducing greenhouse gas emissions for Inuit in the city of Iqaluit by harnessing nearby renewable energy. The project will see capacity on the part of Inuit to minimize risks, vulnerabilities and harms to the environment and social networks that are essential to Inuit culture. The project aims to bring Inuit closer to energy sovereignty, environmental sustainability and affordability.

Our final priority speaks to a shared goal among Inuit organizations in Nunavut. Today we are asking the Government of Canada to make a renewed investment in flexible distinctions-based infrastructure funding for Inuit organizations. As you know, Nunavut faces a substantial infrastructure gap that negatively impacts quality of life, access to services and economic opportunity for Inuit. The Government of Canada has committed several times to close the infrastructure gap by 2030. Inuit are ready to lead on infrastructure and can see that, when we are given freedom and flexibility to do so, we make smart, forward-looking decisions for the health of our communities.

In our submission, QIA, along with three other Nunavut Inuit organizations, asked for continued investment in the distinctions-based, Inuit-led fund for Nunavut infrastructure at a rate of approximately $70 million per year over six years. This represents a continuation of the current level of funding, plus a small adjustment for inflation. QIA believes it is important that the government continue to maintain a distinctions-based funding program for infrastructure in Nunavut, whether as a renewal of the indigenous community infrastructure fund or the creation of a similar program.

Thank you for your time and consideration.