Makivik Corporation

JANUARY 2019 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 7 no choice but to make a move and create an instrument recognized by law. The NQIA represented 11 different communities,” says Watt. Watt says the court case arguing on the question of Inuit rights received a lot of attention. Following the Court of Appeals decision and two years of negotiations, the JBNQA was signed. “This gave us the opportunity to take part in discussions and in deal- ings with the Premiers and the Prime Minister,” says Watt. “This allowed us to focus on ensuring the inclusion of Section 35 into the Constitution. None of this would have happened without the JBNQA.” As the first modern land claim or treaty signed in Canada, “Not only did we do ourselves a favour but I think we did a lot of favours for Aboriginal groups across the country in terms of legal rights.” The NQIA was the predecessor for the Makivik Corporation, created to be a voice of the Inuit of Nunavik “in