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
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