As G7 host, Iqaluit sits the world down for a chat

No surprise Nunavut gets no satisfaction on seal issue

Giulio Tremonti, Italy's Minister of Economy and Finance, left, and German finance minister, centre, listen as French finance minister Christine Lagarde speaks to the closing press conference of the G7 finance ministers meeting at the Cadet Hall in Iqaluit Feb. 6. (PHOTOS BY CHRIS WINDEYER)

Paul Davidee, right, and Anaga Michael, left, dressed in sealskins, eat frozen char Feb. 6. The pair were demonstrating traditional Inuit skills to visitors in town for the G7 summit. (PHOTO BY CHRIS WINDEYER)

They came to Iqaluit to chat about some of the biggest problems facing the world’s economy, but in the end, a question about seals rendered four European finance ministers mute.

None of the finance ministers from France, England, Germany or Italy wanted to wade in on a question from APTN reporter Kent Driscoll about the European Union’s ban on seal products during a closing press conference at the Cadet Hall Saturday.

The result was several seconds of awkward silence, until Jim Flaherty, Canada’s finance minister, stepped in.

“The European Union makes a specific exemption for Inuit people, who for thousands of years have relied on the seal as part of their survival,” Flaherty said. “That is the view of the European Union, and certainly our view in Canada, as you know.”

Well, it’s not everybody’s view: Inuit organizations and the Government of Nunavut have both dubbed the so-called “inuit exemption” to the seal products ban meaningless.

Flaherty also called the seal hunt “largely a matter of domestic policy.” That’s a curious statement to make, since Flaherty’s own government has dispatched cabinet ministers to European capitals in a so far unsuccessful effort to stop the ban.

Later, German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble said he was “deeply impressed by this region and by this city.”

France’s finance minister Christine Lagarde told reporters that “coming to the cold in this beautiful city made the whole [meeting] a lot warmer.”

And Naoto Kan, Japan’s finance minister, seemed the most ambitious, expressing through translation a desire to ride to the “north point” via dog sled.

Some of the finance ministers and central bankers did go on a much-publicized dog sledding jaunt on Frobisher Bay, but all of the “principals,” save Flaherty and Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of Canada, took a pass on Saturday’s feast, which included seal.

But does that even matter? Most economies in the developed world are just now emerging from recession, and only after spending literally trillions of dollars in economic stimulus. Economic analysts generally agree there will be a recovery this year, albeit a shaky one. The US and British economies are still a mess.

The domain of a finance minister includes gross domestic product, currency values, inflation, interest rates and sovereign debt, not the battle between animal and indigenous rights.

Timothy Geithner, the US Secretary of the Treasury, just saw his country post a whopping $1.6-trillion deficit, a shortfall unseen since World War 2. Did we really expect him to stay for a party?

Besides, from the very beginning, Flaherty billed the meeting as a chance for informal “fireside chats” on the state of the financial world. There’s usually a communiqué issued at the end of events like these. This time, nothing.

Inuksuk High School was jammed Saturday night, even without the foreign dignitaries and their hangers-on. Flaherty, Premier Eva Aariak, Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq and Iqaluit mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik joined hundreds of others for a dice game after the speeches wrapped up.

Flaherty was sporting a brand new sealskin vest given to him to mark the occasion.

Aglukkaq painted the feast as a thank-you gesture from Flaherty to Iqaluit for the job the city did hosting the event. And she said foreign dignitaries did taste country food at a reception she hosted Friday, though she didn’t specify who did and didn’t partake.

There were roughly 100 southern and international reporters here, and hundreds of officials from the various G7 countries, out walking around, talking to Iqalummiut. That alone may help Nunavut defend the right of Inuit to live off the land, Aglukkaq said.

“We are often a subject of conversation of many international communities and anytime they are able to set foot on our ground and see Inuit people who have lived here for thousands of years and how we live…is very important.”

Anaga Michael spent much of Saturday dressed head to toe in seal, in front of an igloo, explaining Inuit culture to visitors from Japan, China and Italy.

Michael said the seal hunt may have generated bad press abroad, but the G7 is “cool exposure for our culture.”

“They don’t know that [seal hunting] has been part of our lives for generations,” he said.

At least a few of those visitors know now.

Walking around Iqaluit this past weekend, there was a sense around town that the G7 was actually kind of fun. Many visitors saw the Arctic with their own eyes for the first time, while Iqaluit did just fine hosting a major international event.

Nobody fixed the global economy or reopened the European market to seal products. But that’s no surprise. Everyone was just getting together for a little chat.