Free Essay: A Speech on Solace and the Solidarity for the Inuit Community

Good evening fellow ambassadors. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of belonging. Which raises the question of what it would feel like not to belong. Whatever term we apply to modernization and the influence of nations are not factors for solace and solidarity for the Inuit people. With their cultural heritage and means of life disappearing, and a history of a nation that isolated them, the Inuit do not feel as part of the nation. The mental and psychological stresses explain why the tribe has a rate of suicide which is more than ten times that of Canada (Chachamovich et al., pg 269). The Inuit live mainly in four regions Inuvialuit, Nunavik, Nunavut, and Nunatsiavut (ITK, pg 11). Around 5,000 out of the total or around 60,000 live outside of these settlements. The living conditions in these locations are barely tolerable, with forces seemingly isolating the group from the world.

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The extent of how isolated the group feels from the entire nation has no explanation. Take Nunatsiavut and Nunavik for example, the two have no post-secondary educational facilities (Black, 39). Moreover, the nursing stations in the area do not have full time physician staff, which forces them to travel a further distance for medical attention. The Inuit in Nunangat also do not have it easy. Their rate of crowded homes is 39% as compared to 4% in Canada. The nation also has an 85% rate of high school diploma holders in contrast to 29% for the Inuit Nunangat. 70% of the minority group also lack adequate food to eat, while the rate for Canada is at 8.3%. The median income for the nation is at $77,683, while that for the Inuit Nunangat is $17,778 (ITK, pg 4). Such stark difference may keep some up at night. However, despite the accepted notion that human nature may not find rest or peace with the knowledge that evil is real they can stop it, most people would sleep soundly.

To have a single minority group with such stark differences in exclusion is cause for concern. They may have communities, but even those communities are not as easily accessible and lack communication systems. In contrast, we as ambassadors have country clubs, sports bars, luncheons, and even the break room to exchange a few words of solace. It is easier for us to call ourselves Canadians, but is we were Inuit, we would probably lobby for recognition as a different state. With all the aid available in the world and our hand in it, what role can we play in the recognition and inculcation of the Inuit into our society? The answer is simple, philanthropy. Some of us may argue that it is not for everybody, but as ambassadors, it is our duty.

The inclusion of every group in the context of citizenship should not allow for vast differences between either of them. The provision of education and health services is a right not a matter of priority. For the Inuit, our efforts should build a highway to make them one like us.

Works Cited

Black, Kelly. "Extracting Northern Knowledge: Tracing the History of Post-Secondary Education in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut." Northern Review 40 (2015). 35-61

Chachamovich, Eduardo, et al. "Suicide among Inuit: results from a large, epidemiologically representative follow-back study in Nunavut." The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 60.6 (2015): 268-275.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. (2018, January 22). Inuit Perspectives on a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy. (2020, June 22), retrieved from: https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ITK-Submission-on-CPRS_Final_Jan2018.pdf