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MPs bring gay rights debate to Iqaluit

Same-sex marriage discussion reveals different perspectives on Inuit culture

PATRICIA D'SOUZA

The Qikiqtani Inuit Association was the only Nunavut political body represented at a federal hearing into the legal recognition of same-sex relationships in Iqaluit this week.

Nunavut's capital was the last stop for members of the standing committee on justice and human rights. The committee, made up of regular members of parliament, conducted a roughly four-hour-long session at the Frobisher Inn on April 30.

Neither the Government of Nunavut nor Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. sent delegates to report to the committee. Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell did not attend.

Kanayuk Salamonie, QIA's women's representative, told committee members that while she believes homosexuality is a predominately Qallunaat practice, all human beings should be treated with respect and given equal rights.

She took the bold position that religious clerics should be compelled to marry same-sex couples, though it might run contrary to their faith.

"Ministers are supposed to provide a service to other people," she said in Inuktitut.

"Gays are here like you and me. In Inuit traditional knowledge, harmony is emphasized – respect for human beings."

However, views stressing respect and harmony were often overpowered during the discussion by fundamentalist Christian perspectives stressing the value of procreation within conventional opposite-sex marriages.

James T. Aareak, who described himself as a pastor with the Full Gospel Church, said Inuit culture is built on the foundation of the family – one mother and one father.

"IQ is not about sexual orientation, it's about survival," he said.

"The definition of a family is a father who is a male and a mother who is a female. It brings a natural balance that only this relationship can produce."

Aareak told the committee he represents the views of the majority of Inuit, and that the Inuktitut language has no word to describe gays and lesbians.

And upon questioning from the committee, he said that the values of Inuit are virtually inseparable from those of the Christian faith.

"Are you reflecting the Inuit culture without having that coloured by your religious views?" asked committee member Garry Breitkreuz, a Canadian Alliance MP.

"I think not," Aareak said. "The values the Inuit have and have had in the past are very consistent with Christianity."

But Iqaluit elder Eenoapik Sagiaktok shocked those on both sides of the debate with a story about how her family has welcomed same-sex relationships.

"I have a grandchild who was raised by both men. He's been well-taken-care-of, well-looked-after. His mother died and my grandchild ended up being looked after by both men. They're both white and they're both living together," she said in Inuktitut.

"We're not talking about sex. We're talking about the relationship and the respect. It is not necessary to make marriage a legal requirement. What we do speaks a lot louder."

Members of the committee have been travelling across Canada since the beginning of April, seeking a broad range of opinions on the issue of same-sex marriage. The Iqaluit hearing was their 40th and final public discussion on the matter.

Six MPs travelled to Iqaluit. They represented the three largest parties in the federal government - the Liberals, Canadian Alliance and the Bloc Quebecois. No Progressive Conservative or New Democrat members have taken part in the hearings.

A report of the committee's findings will be presented to the House of Commons in June, Andy Scott, the chair of the committee and Liberal MP for Fredericton, told participants.

The federal government will have 120 days to present a response, possibly in the form of legislation.

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