Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. President Cathy Towtongie today released the Annual Report on the State of Inuit Culture and Society, entitled The Nunavut Inuit Health Survey: Understanding its Influence and Legacy. This annual report covers the fiscal years 2011/12 and 2012/13.
The Nunavut Inuit Health Survey (NIHS) was carried out by a large group of partners led by the Government of Nunavut (GN), McGill University, and NTI in 25 communities in 2007/08, and has provided comprehensive information about the physical and mental health status of Inuit. This provided a new and comprehensive understanding, and helped develop effective public health policy and interventions to improve Inuit health outcomes.
“In this annual report, NTI places the NIHS findings into a historical, social, and political context necessary to make its findings more relevant to Inuit and policy-makers. NTI also describes the successes and shortcomings of the NIHS and lays out the role Inuit expect to play in future research that affects our communities. Inuit must play an authoritative role in research that takes place in our communities in order to make it respectful, and relevant and meaningful to our lives,” said Towtongie.
The report recommendations are diverse, ranging from policy options including the need for a comprehensive program to provide support for children and their caregivers to a call for a complimentary set of new procedures and policies that allow Inuit in Nunavut to be in control of research.
The annual report is an annual obligation of Article 32.3.4 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. As required by NLCA Article 32, the report will be tabled in the Nunavut Legislative Assembly and the House of Commons.
