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Disclaimer: These posts are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. If you have legal questions about your specific situation, get in touch with our office or another lawyer you trust.

Building the Future: How the Nunavut Agreement Renewal Strengthens Inuit Governance

In March 2025, a major step was taken for Inuit governance in Nunavut: the Government of Canada, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), and the Government of Nunavut signed the renewed Implementation Contract under the Nunavut Agreement. This marks the first renewal of the contract in over ten years since the Agreement was signed in 1993.

What the Contract Does

Commits $1.5 billion over 10 years (2024-2034), with an additional $77.6 million per year ongoing (Nunatsiaq News, 2025).
More than $600 million of the funds are earmarked for Inuit employment and training (Nunatsiaq News, 2025).
$50 million is set aside for the Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre (Nunatsiaq News, 2025).
Funding also supports governance, environmental, and land-use institutions: NTI, Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Planning Commission, Nunavut Impact Review Board, Nunavut Water Board, Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, and Hunters & Trappers Organizations.

Why It Matters

This renewed agreement is not just about money—it’s about honoring treaty obligations, strengthening Inuit decision-making, and building capacity in communities. Key points:

Stable long-term funding means communities and Inuit organizations can plan ahead with more certainty.
Employment & training focus opens paths for Inuit people to take on leadership roles, work in government positions, and have a stronger role in governing their lands.
The Heritage Centre helps protect culture, language, history—elements essential to identity and self-determination.
Supporting governance institutions ensures Inuit perspectives are part of decisions about land, the environment, wildlife, and resource management.

Connection to Perrie Law

At Perrie Law, we are deeply committed to supporting Indigenous governance, defending rights, and ensuring access to justice. This renewed Implementation Contract directly aligns with our work:

We help clients navigate the overlapping systems—treaty, land claims, traditional governance—and ensure legal protection of rights promised under the Nunavut Agreement.
As more decision-making power shifts to Inuit bodies and more resources become available locally, people will need support to make sure programs and funding live up to their promises.
We also strive to ensure that people are included—Elders, youth, remote communities—so that the community-led vision of self-determination becomes real.

Looking Forward

The renewal of the Implementation Contract is a milestone. It offers hope—but also responsibility. Communities, organizations, and individuals must stay engaged, watch how the funding flows, ask questions, and make sure Inuit voices remain central in the path forward.

Perrie Law stands ready to walk alongside you through these changes—ensuring that rights are defended, voices are heard, and governance reflects Inuit priorities and knowledge.

Sources

“Historic $1.5B deal marks first renewal of Nunavut Agreement since 1993.” Nunatsiaq News, March 2025. Read here

Privacy and Admissibility of Evidence

A new case about privacy and admissibility of evidence in sexual assault cases in Nunavut!

In the recent case of R v NN, 2024 NUCJ 36, the Nunavut Court of Justice tackled some important questions about what kind of evidence can be used in a sexual assault trial.

The case involved text messages, photos, and Snapchat conversations, and whether they could be considered private "records" - or if they could be used to unfairly influence the jury.

These are the Key takeaways from this new decision:

Protecting privacy: The Court emphasized the importance of safeguarding the complainant's privacy and preventing the use of evidence that could perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
Balancing rights: The Court carefully weighed the defendant's right to a fair trial against the need to protect the complainant's privacy and dignity.
Context matters: Whether a message or photo is considered private depends on the specific circumstances and the nature of the information shared.

Police at your door?

It can be unsettling when the police show up at your home. Here's what you need to know to protect yourself and understand your rights:

Do NOT open the door automatically. You have the right to remain silent and not let them in.
Ask if they have a warrant. If they say they do, ask to see it through the window or slip it under the door. Make sure it has the correct address and a judge's signature.
If they don't have a warrant, you can say:
1. "I do not consent to you entering my home."
2. "I do not want to talk to you without a lawyer present."
3. "I will not open my door for you."
If they insist on coming in without a warrant, DO NOT physically resist. Step aside but clearly say you do not consent to them coming in.
If you are arrested, stay calm and ask for a lawyer immediately. DO NOT answer any questions or give the police any information.

Important notes:

Be polite and cooperative, but firm in telling them your rights.
Do not answer any questions or engage in conversation without a lawyer.
Contact a lawyer as soon as possible.

Remember: You have the right to remain silent, the right to a lawyer, and the right to refuse entry to your home without a warrant.

Be Gay/Do Crime

The phrase "be gay, do crime" is a popular slogan that celebrates rebellion and subversion in queer communities, often as a response to historical and ongoing marginalization. It's a playful, tongue-in-cheek way of embracing non-confirmity and challenging societal norms that have excluded and criminalized 2SLGBTQ+ people. The slogan reflects a sense of empowerment, pride, and resistance against systems that have historically deemed queerness itself as "deviant" and criminal. When being our true, authentic selves is criminalized, it calls to question other pieces of the legal framework imposed on us by the state.

Rather than promoting literal criminal activity, "be gay, do crime" symbolizes resistance to oppression, advocating for self-expression and personal freedom in the face of restrictive conventions.

Law is not often a place queer folks feel safe. With members of the bar scoffing at stating their own pronouns in court and dead names published on public dockets, queer clients deserve representation they can feel safe navigating the system with.

While silly and playful, messaging that resonates with and tells queer clients that they are welcome to be themselves when accessing legal counsel is important. Especially now when trans rights are taking blow after blow across the country. You can feel safe to be yourself while working with anyone at Perrie Law.

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